Budapest, Hungary — Prime Minister of Hungary viktor orban Accepted defeat after what he said on Sunday ″painful″ election resultsA powerful man from the far-right movement aligned with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin ended his 16-year tenure in power.
Partial official results show opposition leader Peter Magyar’s party has dominated the vote with blowout election results in Europe and beyond. ”Thank you, Hungary!” Magyar posted on Twitter as thousands of his supporters gathered on the banks of the Danube in Budapest.
Across the city, Orbán told his followers that “I congratulate the victorious party.”
“We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our motherland even in the opposition,” he said.
With 60% of the votes counted, Magyar’s Tisza party had more than 52% support while Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party had more than 38%. This ratio will change as more votes are counted.
It is a major blow to Orban, the EU’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest opponents, who has come a long way since his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand. Russia-friendly nationalist praised today By global remote.
Both Orbán and Magyar’s parties said they had received reports of electoral violations, suggesting that some results may be disputed by both sides.
According to the national election office, turnout was more than 77% as of 6:30 p.m., a record number in any election in Hungary’s post-communist history.
Magyar said, “I am asking my supporters and all Hungarians: let’s be peaceful, happy, and if the results confirm our expectations, let’s celebrate a big Hungarian carnival.”
Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, said the record high turnout showed that “Hungarian democracy is extremely strong.”
Orban has repeatedly blocked EU efforts to support Ukraine in a war against Russia’s full-scale invasion, while pursuing close ties with President Vladimir Putin and refusing to end Hungary’s dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports.
Recent revelations revealed that a top member of his government frequently shared the content of EU discussions with Moscow, leading to allegations that Hungary was acting on Russia’s behalf within the bloc.
Elections were closely monitored countries around Europe And beyond that, which is evidence of Orbán’s outsized role in far-right populist politics around the world.
Members of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement are among those who view Orbán’s government and his Fidesz political party as a political party. shining example Conservative, anti-globalist politics in action while he does so Condemned by supporters of liberal democracy And rule of law.
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.”
Casting his vote in Budapest, 21-year-old Marcel Mehringer said he was voting “mainly so that Hungary finally becomes a so-called European country, and so that young people, and indeed everyone, do their fundamental civic duty to unify this country a little and break down these borders born of hatred.”
During his 16 years as prime minister, Orbán has made a harsh start attack on minority rights And freedom of mediaDestroyed many of Hungary’s institutions and was accused of funneling large amounts of money into the coffers of his fellow business elite, a charge he denies.
They have also greatly strained Hungary’s relations with the European Union. Although Hungary, with a population of 9.5 million, is one of the EU’s smaller countries, Orbán has repeatedly used his veto to block decisions that require consensus.
Recently, he Blocked 90 billion euros ($104 billion) of EU debt As for Ukraine, his allies accused him of hijacking vital aid.
Magyar rapidly became Orbán’s most serious challenger. The 45-year-old leader of the center-right Tisza party, which led the free elections, campaigned on issues affecting ordinary voters, including Hungary’s faltering public health care and transportation sectors and what he describes as rampant government corruption.
A former insider to Orbán’s Fidesz, Magyar broke with the party in 2024 and immediately formed Tisza. Since then, he has visited Hungary continuously Rallies in small and big settlements A campaign campaign recently had him visiting six cities a day.
in one Interview with the Associated Press Earlier this month, Magyar said the election would be a “referendum” on whether Hungary would continue its turn toward Russia under Orban, or reclaim its place among Europe’s democratic societies.
Tisza won 30% of the votes in the European Parliament elections in 2024 and Magyar took a seat as an EU MP. Tisza is a member of the European People’s Party, the mainstream, centre-right political family whose leaders govern 12 of the EU’s 27 countries.
The Magyars and the Tisza faced tough competition. Orban’s control over Hungary’s public media, which he has turned into the mouthpiece of his party, and the vast area of the private media market have given him leverage in spreading his message.
The unilateral change of Hungary’s electoral system and the gerrymandering of its 106 voting districts by Fidesz would also require Tisza to garner an estimated 5% more votes than Orbán’s party to win a simple majority.
Additionally, thousands of ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries have the right to vote in Hungarian elections and have traditionally voted overwhelmingly for Orbán’s party.
Both Fidesz and Tisza have launched platforms to report irregularities, accusing their opponents of planning electoral abuses.
According to multiple media reports, including The Washington Post, Russian secret services have conspired to interfere in the election and sway it in Orbán’s favor. However, the Prime Minister has Accusations on neighboring country UkraineAt the same time, Hungary’s allies in the EU are seeking to intervene in the vote to install a “pro-Ukraine” government.
Such allegations are part of why many in the EU see Orbán as a threat to the future of the bloc.
But across the Atlantic, Trump and his MAGA movement are bracing for another Orbán term. Trump has repeatedly supported the Hungarian leader and US Vice President JD Vance made a statement two day trip to hungary The purpose of last week was to help push Orban over the finish line.
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Associated Press journalists Bela Zandelszki, Marko Drobnjakovic and Florent Bajrami contributed to this report.
