Hungarian PM Viktor Orban concedes defeat in European electoral earthquake

Justin Spike and Sam McNeil, Associated Press

Hungarian voters ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday after 16 years in power.

The result is seen as a rejection of the authoritarian policies and global right-wing movement that Mr Orban embodied, in favour of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions.

Election victor Peter Magyar, a former loyalist of Mr Orban who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues such as health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary’s relationships with the European Union and Nato — ties that frayed under Mr Orban.

European leaders quickly congratulated Mr Magyar.

It is not yet clear whether Mr Magyar’s Tisza party will have the two-thirds majority in parliament to govern without a coalition. With 77% of the vote counted, it had more than 53% support to 38% for Mr Orban’s governing Fidesz party.

It is a stunning blow for Mr Orban, a close ally of both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Orban conceded defeat after what he called a “painful” election result.

“I congratulated the victorious party,” Mr Orban told followers.

“We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition.”

Meanwhile, Mr Magyar posted on X, “Thank you, Hungary!” as thousands of his supporters thronged the banks of the Danube in Budapest, chanting “We got it! We did it!”

Mr Orban, the EU’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has travelled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right.

Turnout by 6.30pm was more than 77%, according to the National Election Office, a record number in any election in Hungary’s post-Communist history.

The parties of both Mr Orban and Mr Magyar said they had received reports of electoral violations, suggesting some results could be disputed by both sides.

“I’m asking our supporters and all Hungarians: Let’s stay peaceful, cheerful, and if the results confirm our expectations, let’s throw a big, Hungarian carnival,” Mr Magyar said.

Reconciliation

Mark Radnai, Tisza’s vice president, also called for reconciliation after a tense campaign. “We can’t be each other’s enemies. Reach out, hug your neighbours, your relatives. It’s the day of reunification,” he said.

The EU will be waiting to see what Mr Magyar does about Ukraine. Mr Orban repeatedly frustrated EU efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion, while cultivating close ties to Mr Putin and refusing to end Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy imports.

Recent revelations have shown a top member of Mr Orban’s government frequently shared the contents of EU discussions with Moscow, raising accusations that Hungary was acting on Russia’s behalf within the bloc.

Mr Orban occupied an outsized role in right-wing populist politics worldwide.

Members of Mr Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement are among those who see Mr Orban’s government and his Fidesz political party as shining examples of conservative, anti-globalist politics in action, while he is reviled by advocates of liberal democracy and the rule of law.

Casting his ballot in Budapest, Marcell Mehringer, 21, said he was voting “primarily so that Hungary will finally be a so-called European country, and so that young people, and really everyone, will do their fundamental civic duty to unite this nation a bit and to break down these boundaries borne of hatred.”

During his 16 years as prime minister, Mr Orban has launched harsh crackdowns on minority rights and media freedoms, subverted many of Hungary’s institutions and been accused of siphoning large sums of money into the coffers of his allied business elite, an allegation he denies.

Veto

He also has heavily strained Hungary’s relationship with the EU. Although Hungary is one of the smaller EU countries, with a population of 9.5 million, Mr Orban has repeatedly used his veto to block decisions that require unanimity. Most recently, he blocked a 90-billion euro EU loan to Ukraine, prompting his partners to accuse him of hijacking the critical aid.

Meanwhile, Mr Magyar had risen rapidly to become Mr Orban’s most serious challenger.

The 45-year-old leader of the centre-right Tisza party campaigned on issues affecting ordinary voters including Hungary’s faltering public health care and transportation sectors and what he described as rampant government corruption.