Hungary’s long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban has conceded defeat in the country’s parliamentary elections after partial official results indicated a decisive victory for Peter Magyar and his Tisza party, ending 16 years of uninterrupted rule by Fidesz.
With 97.35 per cent of precincts counted, official results showed that Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party secured 138 seats in the 199-member parliament, winning 53.6 per cent of the vote. Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party secured 55 seats with 37.8 per cent, marking a sharp drop compared to previous elections.
Following the early results, Orban accepted the outcome, effectively acknowledging that his party would not be able to form a majority government. The result is being seen as one of the most significant political reversals in Hungary’s recent history.
Addressing thousands of supporters in central Budapest, Magyar said his administration would move to reposition Hungary more firmly within the European mainstream and strengthen ties with Western allies.
“Hungary will once again be a strong ally representing Hungarian interests, because our country’s place is in Europe,” Magyar said.
He outlined immediate foreign policy priorities, stating that his first official visits would include Warsaw and Vienna, followed by Brussels, where he intends to push for the release of suspended European Union funds.
“We will bring home the EU funds that are due to the Hungarian people,” he said.
Magyar also pledged institutional reforms, including Hungary’s entry into the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, aimed at improving accountability and restoring democratic safeguards.
“We will restore the system of checks and balances. We will join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. We guarantee the democratic functioning of our country,” he added.
He further called on President Tamas Sulyok and other senior officials appointed during Orban’s tenure to step down, accusing them of political bias and urging immediate institutional change.
“I call on the President of the Republic to immediately ask the winner to form a government and then leave office. I call on all the puppets who have been in power for the past 16 years to do the same,” he said.
Magyar specifically referred to leaders of key institutions, including the judiciary, audit office, competition authority, and media regulator, urging them to resign without delay.
“Let them leave, leave. Don’t wait until we send them away,” he added.
He also appealed for a smooth transition of power, cautioning against any moves to restrict the incoming administration’s authority.
“If a serious decision or question arises regarding our nation during the hopefully short period of transition, please feel free to call me, you know my phone number,” Magyar said.
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