“Today was a celebration of democracy,” said Péter Magyar

 12 April 2026

BUDAPEST – Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat after losing national elections to a record turnout of Hungarians in an earthquake for European politics.

With voter participation at 78%, Hungary’s prime minister – vociferously endorsed by Donald Trump – admitted he had lost his hold on power after 16 years.

“The election result is understandable and clear. For us, it is painful, but unambiguous,” he said.

“The days ahead will be about healing wounds. I wish everyone good health and evenings better than tonight. May God watch over all of us—go Hungarians!.”

His defeat propels Péter Magyar, and his Tisza party, into power, with a two thirds majority within his grasp, according to preliminary results, at 60% of the count, giving him 136 seats ahed of Fidesz on 56.

“Today was a celebration of democracy,” he said. “This is a record high turnout rate since 1990,  the first free election. Hungarians have never voted in such great numbers. The majority of Hungarians have realised how important today’s elections will be.”

After less than two years at the head of his Tisza movement, Magyar, 45, is expected to bring Hungary back into the European mainstream.

“We waited for this for twenty years. Finally we joined the real Europe, as the Russian regime is over,” said Péter Kiss, a man in his 30s celebrating with other Tisza supporters on the banks of the Danube.

After fears, Fidesz would not recognise the result, Tamás Sulyok, the Hungarian president, said “the 2026 election was conducted properly”. “There is clear public confidence in the conduct of elections in our country,” he said in reference to the record turnout. “The results of the elections will be a legitimate mandate for where the country should go.”

The end of an era

Europe’s longest-serving democratically elected leader, Viktor Orbán, 62, who entered politics as an anti-communist student dissident, has been denied a fifth term at the head of a system he has described as an “illiberal democracy”.

Orbán has reshaped his nation’s political system with reforms that Magyar may find difficult to reverse, consolidating a system that has inspired populist and nationalist movements across the West – including Donald Trump.

“What this election result means for the nation, we do not yet know—time will decide,” said Orbán. “We will serve our homeland and the Hungarian nation even from the opposition. The task before us is clear. The burden of governing does not weigh on our shoulders; now our job is to strengthen our communities.”

The US president lent own full personal support to the Hungarian leader and promised to swing America’s “economic might” behind him but the defeat shows the limits of Trump’s reach.

During his time in office, Orbán has proudly taken the mantle of the EU’s most intransigent leader and Putin’s closest ally in Europe, mirroring Trump’s “bromance” with the authoritarian Russian president.

Russia – and allegations of a high level Russian spy cell trying to subvert the vote – became a fault line issue in a country still scarred by Soviet occupation and with a national tradition rooted in the bloody historical memory of Hungary’s 1956 uprising.

A new beginning

Magyar, 45, emerged from within the ruling Fidesz just two years ago, following a scandal that forced several high-profile resignations, including that of his ex-wife, Judit Varga, who had often been tipped as Orbán’s successor.

He has pledged to reset ties with the EU, unlock frozen funding and curb Russian influence, while removing obstacles to Ukraine loans.

Magyar has framed the vote as a choice between “East or West”, echoing a youthful Orbán’s 1989 call for elections to end Soviet rule and for Russian troops to leave Hungary. Crowds celebrating his victory at a rally in Budapest chanted “Russians out”. “We are the successors of the freedom fighters of 1956,” said Andrew, a 60-year-old builder.

The campaign was marked by mutual accusations, with Orbán alleging opposition collusion with foreign intelligence, while Magyar warned of efforts to disrupt the vote in key constituencies.

This article will be updated as results come in.

https://www.euractiv.com/news/hungary-defeat-looms-for-orban-poll-projection