Hungary’s Orban concedes historic defeat to centre-right opposition – Nationalist
BUDAPEST, Hungary (Reuters) – Hungary’s veteran leader Viktor Orban conceded defeat on Sunday after winning a landslide election victory over opposition party Tisza, pushing back his allies in Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump’s White House.
Results based on 46% of the votes counted showed that Peter Magyar’s centre-right, pro-EU Tisza party won 135 seats – or a crucial two-thirds majority – in the 199-member parliament, ahead of Orban’s Fidesz party.
“The results of the election are not over yet, but the situation is understandable and clear,” Orban said at the Fidesz campaign offices. “The election results are painful for us, but they are clear.
“The responsibility and the opportunity to rule was not given to us. I congratulate the winner.”
Pollsters predicted a record turnout, with Hungarian television showing long queues outside some polling stations in Budapest. Data at 1630 GMT, half an hour before polls closed, showed a turnout of 77.8%, up from 67.8% four years ago.
If the final results confirm initial readings, the end of Orban’s time in government after 16 years in power could have a major impact not only on Hungary, but on the European Union, Ukraine and beyond.
Get the latest country news
Get the best Canadian news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you never miss a trending story.
It could mean the end of Hungary’s opposition role within the EU, possibly paving the way for a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan to war-torn Ukraine blocked by Orban.
An Orban defeat could also mean the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary that the bloc had suspended because of what Brussels says is Orban’s erosion of democratic values.
Orban’s exit would also deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main EU ally and send shockwaves through right-wing Western circles, including the White House.
In Hungary, Tisza’s victory could pave the way for reforms the party says will aim to fight corruption and restore the independence of the judiciary and other institutions.
However, the extent of such changes will depend on whether Tisza can secure the two-thirds majority she would need to reverse a large part of Orban’s legacy.
Orban carved out a model of “democracy that doesn’t exist” that is seen as a blueprint for Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and its likes in Europe.
But many Hungarians have grown weary of Orban, 62, after three years of economic stagnation and rising living costs and reports of oligarchs close to the government amassing more wealth.
Tisza leader Magyar seems to have successfully tapped into this frustration.
Voting for Tisza in the Hungarian capital, Mihaly Bacsi, 27, said the country needs change.
“We need to improve the social situation, there is tension in many places and the current government is exacerbating these feelings,” he said.
Another voter who called herself Zsuzsa said she wanted to continue.
“I would really like it if all the results achieved in recent years remain – and I am very afraid of war,” he said, referring to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Hungary’s neighbor to the east.
Orban wanted to choose Sunday’s election between “war and peace”. During the campaign, the government blanketed the country with signs warning that Magyar would drag Hungary into a war with Russia and Ukraine, something it vehemently denies.
– Additional reporting by Krisztina Than, Anita Komuves, Lili Bayer, Thomas Holdstock, Judith Langowski, writing by Justyna Pawlak, editing by Alexander Smith and Gareth Jones
