HUNGARY'S former communist reformers were rolling to a landslide win

in yesterday's general election, ending four years of conservative rule,

according to preliminary results.

The revamped Hungarian Socialist Party, riding a wave of discontent

with sliding standards of living, had won or was leading in 146 of the

174 individual districts contested, data from the National Electoral

Office showed.

With 98 percent of the vote in these districts counted, the liberal

Alliance of Free Democrats had won or were ahead in 17 constituencies

and the ruling Hungarian Democratic Forum controlled only four,

according to the results.

A newspaper exit poll forecast the Socialists were likely to take 208

seats in the 386-seat national assembly, seizing an absolute majority.

-- Reuter.