BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat on Sunday after what he called a “painful” election result, ending 16 years in power.
He framed it as a transfer of power that should still serve Hungary. “I congratulated the victorious party,” Orban told his followers, adding: “We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well.”
The opposition leader Peter Magyar, meanwhile, posted “Thank you, Hungary!” on X, with thousands of supporters packed along the banks of the Danube in Budapest. There was a moment—just for a second—when the noise from chanting seemed to blend with the evening air, the kind of cold river smell you notice even when you’re trying not to. Then the talk shifted back to numbers and what came next.
Partial official results showed Magyar’s Tisza party leading. With 60% of the vote counted, Tisza had more than 52% support to 38% for Orbán’s governing Fidesz party. That share could still move as more ballots are counted. Still, the direction appears to be a major blow for Orbán, the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has traveled a long road from early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to today’s Russia-friendly nationalist, admired by parts of the global far-right.
The parties of both Orbán and Magyar said they had received reports of electoral violations, leaving room for disputes over some results. Turnout, according to the National Election Office, was over 77% by 6:30 p.m., described as a record number in Hungary’s post-Communist history. Magyar, addressing supporters, urged calm: “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.”
Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, said the record high turnout showed that “Hungarian democracy is extremely strong.” The contest, though, was never only about domestic politics. For years, Orbán has frustrated EU efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion, while cultivating close ties to President Vladimir Putin and refusing to end Hungary’s dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports. Recent revelations, Misryoum newsroom reported, have shown a top member of his government frequently shared the contents of EU discussions with Moscow, raising accusations that Hungary was acting on Russia’s behalf within the bloc.
The election was closely watched across Europe and beyond, a testament to the outsized role Orbán occupies in far-right populist politics worldwide. Some members of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement see Orbán’s government and Fidesz as shining examples of conservative, anti-globalist politics in action; others, aligned with liberal democratic values and the rule of law, view him very differently.
After casting his vote, Magyar told reporters that the election was “a choice between East or West, propaganda or honest public discourse, corruption or clean public life.” In Budapest, Marcell Mehringer, 21, said he voted “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 Orbán’s 16 years as prime minister, he 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. He also has heavily strained Hungary’s relationship with the EU, repeatedly using his veto to block decisions requiring unanimity—most recently blocking a 90-billion euro ($104 billion) EU loan to Ukraine, prompting partners to accuse him of hijacking the critical aid.
Still, Magyar and Tisza, a center-right party, rose quickly into a serious challenger. The 45-year-old leader campaigned on issues affecting ordinary voters including faltering public health care and transportation, and what he describes as rampant government corruption. A former insider within Fidesz, Magyar broke with the party in 2024 and quickly formed Tisza, then toured Hungary relentlessly, holding rallies across the country—sometimes visiting up to six towns daily. Tisza won 30% of the vote in European Parliament elections in 2024, and Magyar took a seat as an EU lawmaker. (Misryoum editorial desk noted Tisza is a member of the European People’s Party.)
The road ahead looks difficult. Tisza and Magyar face an uphill fight because of Orbán’s control of public media, the advantage it gives in spreading his message, and the unilateral transformation of Hungary’s electoral system and gerrymandering of its 106 voting districts by Fidesz. That will require Tisza to gain an estimated 5% more votes than Orbán’s party to achieve a simple majority. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries also had the right to vote and have traditionally voted overwhelmingly for Orbán’s party.
Both Fidesz and Tisza have launched platforms for reporting irregularities, accusing their opponents of planning abuses. There are also warnings about outside influence: Russian secret services have plotted to interfere and tip the election in Orbán’s favor, according to numerous media reports including by The Washington Post, Misryoum newsroom reported. The prime minister has accused neighboring Ukraine and Hungary’s allies in the EU of seeking to interfere to install a “pro-Ukraine” government. Such accusations are part of why many in the EU see Orbán as a danger to the bloc’s future. And across the Atlantic, Trump and his MAGA movement are described as all-in for another Orbán term, with Trump repeatedly endorsing the Hungarian leader and U.S. Vice President JD Vance making a two-day visit to Hungary last week meant to help push Orbán over the finish line.