Hungary’s far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat to conservative European lawmaker Peter Magyar on Sunday in parliamentary elections that ended 16 years of increasingly authoritarian Christian nationalist rule, despite open interference from The Trump administration and alleged covert interference by Russia.
“The election result is not yet final, but it is understandable and clear,” said Orbán. “The election result is painful for us, but clear. We have not been given the responsibility and opportunity to govern. I have congratulated the winner.”
“We will serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition,” he added.
Magyar, who heads the socially conservative but democratic Tisza party, said further social media that “just now, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated me on our victory in a phone call”.
Tisza is projected to win 135 seats in the 199-seat Országgyűlés, or Parliament, with nearly half of all votes counted, according to the national elections office. Orbán’s Fidesz party is projected to control 57 seats, based on Sunday evening’s results.
Hungarian army promised that “step by step, brick by brick, we are taking our homeland and building a new country, a sovereign, modern, European Hungary”.
Domestic and international critics have long accused Orban of systematically eroding Hungary’s democratic institutions, tightening his grip on the country’s political system and consolidating control over much of the media to bolster Fidesz’s rule.
After serving a single term as prime minister from 1998-2002, Orbán was re-elected in 2010 and served four consecutive terms, thanks to the approval by Fidesz-led lawmakers of the so-called “Basic law” and other illiberal measures.
Human rights significantly worsened during Orban’s tenure, especially for LGBTQ+ people, migrantswomen and Roma. of European Union has withheld billions of dollars in funding in response.
EU leaders have condemned Orban’s rule, calling out his government a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy”. Orbán describes it as “illiberal democracy,“while promoting its universal appeal to international conservatives, including The President of the USA Donald Trump.
European leaders also spoke of Orbán’s warm personal relationship with the Russian president Vladimir Putinalthough the Hungarian leader condemned the invasion of Russia in Ukraine and voted along with the rest of the 27-nation EU to impose the economy sanctions IN Moscow.
Russia is accused Attempting to influence the outcome of the election in favor of Fidesz through a coordinated online disinformation campaign. At a mass pre-election rally and concert in Budapest, thousands chanted in unison, “Russians go home!”
Trump and senior members of his administration had openly supported Orban, with the president PROMISING “To use the full economic power of United States to strengthen the economy of Hungary” if the prime minister is re-elected.
Vice President of the USA JD Vance traveled to Budapest last week for it campaign for Orban. While condemning what he called the “shameful” intervention by the EU – of which Hungary is a member – Vance added that he wanted to “help as much as I could help” to ensure Orban’s re-election.
Orbán also has accused Ukraine for election interference, although he has provided no evidence to support his claim.
Responding to the alleged foreign interference, Magyar said on social media that “this is our country”.
“Hungarian history is not written WashingtonMoscow or Brussels – it is written in the streets and squares of Hungary,” he insisted.
Many world leaders congratulated Magyar.
“The heart of Europe is beating stronger in Hungary tonight”, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. said on social media. “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country regains its European path. The Union becomes stronger.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “The Hungarian people have made up their minds. My hearty congratulations on your electoral success. I look forward to working with you. Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and above all united Europe.”
The French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in X that “France welcomes what has been a victory in terms of people’s participation in the democratic process and a victory that shows the connection of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union and to Hungary’s role in Europe.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson cheered “Tiza’s historic victory in the Hungarian elections!”
“I look forward to working closely with you – as allies and members of the EU,” Kristersson added. “This marks a new chapter in Hungary’s history.”
