Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has led Hungary for 16 years, conceded defeat on Sunday after preliminary results showed conservative newcomer Péter Magyar’s party poised to win a commanding parliamentary majority. With roughly 67 percent of precincts counted, official tallies gave Magyar’s bloc 137 seats-more than two‑thirds of the 199‑seat legislature-while turnout reached a reported record 77.8 percent at 6:30 pm (1630 GMT).
“The election results, though not yet final, are clear and understandable; for us, they are painful but unambiguous,” Orbán, 62, told reporters. “We have not been entrusted with the responsibility and opportunity to govern. I congratulated the winning party.” Magyar, 45, a former government insider turned opposition figure, posted on social media that Orbán “just called to congratulate us on our victory.”
Magyar burst onto the national stage only two years ago, campaigning on promises to fight corruption and improve public services. He built support amid economic stagnation and despite an electoral system widely seen as favorable to Orbán’s Fidesz party. After voting, Magyar urged citizens to report suspected vote‑buying, intimidation or other violations while appealing for calm.
Orbán, who had been seeking a fifth straight term, has remade Hungary’s politics around what he calls “illiberal democracy,” frequently clashing with the European Union over rule‑of‑law issues and resisting stronger backing for Ukraine. During the campaign he portrayed Ukraine as “hostile” to Hungary and vowed to continue cracking down on what he described as “fake civil society organisations, bought journalists, judges (and) politicians.” After casting his ballot he warned of a “major crisis” for Europe and said Hungary still had “a lot of friends in the world. From America to China to Russia and the Turkish world.”
The election attracted intense international attention. U.S. President Donald Trump publicly backed Orbán, and Trump had promised to bring U.S. “economic might” to Hungary if Orbán’s party won. U.S. Vice‑President J.D. Vance visited to rally with Orbán and criticized interference by Brussels “bureaucrats.” Both camps alleged foreign interference during the campaign in the central European country of about 9.5 million people.
On the streets of Budapest reactions were mixed: jubilant Tisza supporters celebrated while Fidesz gatherings were more subdued. “I came to this event full of hope… I’m optimistic about the change,” said 28‑year‑old HR manager Orsolya Rozgonyi. By contrast, Maria Tóth, a 31‑year‑old mother, told reporters, “It is so important for us that Viktor Orbán stays in power.” Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, said he did not, for now, see “any infringement that would put the final result in question.”
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hungarys-viktor-orban-a-trump-ally-loses-polls-after-16-years-in-power-11348436#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-04-13 02:14:00
