Opposition parties did not have a level playing field in last weekend's election in Hungary, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said on Monday. "The government’s excessive spending on ads that amplified the ruling coalition’s campaign message undermined contestants’ ability to compete on an equal basis," OSCE election monitor Douglas Wake told a press conference. He said that political debate had been stunted by "intimidating and xenophobic rhetoric, media bias and opaque campaign financing," though he did say that "fundamental rights and freedoms were respected overall."