April 13, 2026 | 09:43 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Prime Minister (PM) of Hungary who has been in office for the last 16 years, Viktor Orban, admits defeat in the country's parliamentary election. This acknowledgment comes after preliminary official results show Peter Magyar's Tisza party winning convincingly.
"Prime Minister Viktor Orban just called to congratulate us on our victory," Magyar wrote on social media on Sunday night as the election results began to come in, as reported by Al Jazeera.
With 97.35% of polling stations counted, Magyar's center-right party secured 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament with 53.6% of the vote. Meanwhile, Orban's nationalist Fidesz party only obtained 55 seats with 37.8%, according to official results.
In a victory speech in front of tens of thousands of supporters gathered along the Danube River in the capital, Budapest, Magyar said that his voters had rewritten history.
"Tonight, truth prevailed over lies," he said.
"Today, we won because Hungarians didn’t ask what their homeland could do for them; they asked what they could do for their homeland. You found the answer. And you followed through."
Magyar said the projected results, which anticipate his party winning a two-thirds majority in parliament, represent a historic mandate. He pledged to unite the people of Hungary.
"In the history of democratic Hungary, this many people have never voted before, and no single party has ever received such a strong mandate as Tisza."
Reporting from the victory party, Step Vaessen of Al Jazeera described an atmosphere of jubilation.
"Budapest has absolutely exploded into celebrations," she said. "It’s all over for Viktor Orban after 16 years. They can barely believe it, but it’s absolutely happening."
A voter, Daniel Hernandez-Kontler, said he expects Magyar to "build bridges" rather than "divide Hungary". He hopes for a "more humane Hungary for everyone, not just Fidesz sympathizers."
Orban's Acknowledgment
Meanwhile, Orban told his supporters that he had "congratulated the victorious party" after the results that were "painful" but "clear".
"The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us," he said. "We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well."
Vaessen from Al Jazeera said that the projected "two-thirds majority" to be won by Magyar's party is "very important", as it will allow them to change Hungary's constitution.
"It is a big change for Hungary because for the past 16 years, Fidesz has had a comfortable majority in parliament and Orban could govern as he pleased," said Gergeley Rejnai, a Hungarian analyst at the Fair Political Analysis Center, to Al Jazeera.
"Now, it’s going to be completely flipped," he said.
Mainstream Europe Flow
The National Election Office said that the voter turnout by 18:30 was over 77%, a record figure in any post-Communist Hungarian election.
Orban's defeat will have significant implications not only for Hungary but also for the European Union, Ukraine, and beyond.
This is likely to end Hungary's opposition role in the European Union and may open the way for a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine, which has been devastated by war and has been blocked by Orban.
Rejnai said Hungary is expected to be more aligned with Western Europe and position itself "in the mainstream of the European Union".
Orban's defeat could also mean the release of EU funds to Hungary that have been suspended by the bloc due to what Brussels has called Orban's backsliding on democracy.
Surprise for Trump and Putin Camps
Orban's departure will also remove President of Russia Vladimir Putin's main ally in the European Union and send a shockwave through the Western right-wing, including followers of U.S. President Donald Trump's MAGA.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance had visited Hungary earlier this week to support Orban. He attacked alleged "bureaucrats" interference from Brussels in Hungary. Meanwhile, Trump has promised to bring the "economic power" of the United States to Hungary if Orban's party wins.
In Hungary, Tisza's victory could pave the way for reforms aimed at combating corruption and restoring the independence of the judiciary and other institutions, according to the party.
However, the extent to which these reforms will depend on whether Tisza gains the necessary two-thirds constitutional majority to reverse much of Orban's legacy.
Orban sought to portray Sunday's election as a choice between "war and peace". During the campaign, the government spread signs across the country warning that Magyar would drag Hungary into the war in Ukraine led by Russia - something he denied.
Read: Hungarian Author Laszlo Krasznahorkai Awarded 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature
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