End of an era in Hungary: Viktor Orbán loses election, will leave power after 16 years

Viktor Orbán lost the election in Hungary. After more than 15 years in power, the conservative leader was defeated in the general election. His party, Fidesz, came second behind Tisza, a new political party made up of former Fidesz members who were unapproving of the Hungarian prime minister's leadership. With Sunday's results, the next prime minister will be Péter Magyar.

With more than 60% of the votes counted, Tisza took first place with 53% of the vote, which will give it a supermajority of 137 seats in the Hungarian Parliament. Trailing behind was Fidesz, with 38% of the vote and 55 seats. In third place was Our Homeland Movement, which tried to present itself as a more conservative alternative to Orbán. It obtained 6% of the vote and seven seats.

Magyar already reported that Orbán called him to congratulate him on the election: "Thank you, Hungary! ... Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has just called to congratulate us on our victory", he wrote on his X account.

Orbán's defeat came after the Trump administration repeatedly endorsed his candidacy. "My Administration stands ready to use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary’s Economy, as we have done for our Great Allies in the past, if Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian People ever need it. We are excited to invest in the future Prosperity that will be generated by Orbán’s continued Leadership!" wrote Donald Trump on Truth Social before the election.

This was coupled with Vice President J.D. Vance's trip to Budapest, where he participated in an event with Orbán and endorsed his candidacy.

Orbán's first words after the defeat

The Hungarian prime minister, who has ruled since 2010, spoke before his supporters and conceded defeat.

"The election results are not final yet but the situation is understandable and clear. The election result is painful for us, but clear. The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us. I have congratulated the winner," Orbán declared after the results were made public.

How does the electoral system work in Hungary?

Hungary's electoral system is a parliamentary republic, where the parliament has 199 deputies in total. 100 are needed to form a government and 133 are needed to obtain a two-thirds "supermajority" that allows the ruling party to make structural changes in the country. For example, with a majority of 133 seats, a party could change the constitution.

As for its election system, it is a mixed model between the uninominal constituency and a proportional model. Parliament has 199 deputies in total, of which 106 are elected individually (as in the United States) and 93 through proportional national lists.

Added to this is a mechanism called "compensation," which is used to apportion the 93 proportional seats. Not only the votes to the lists are counted, but also many of the votes that were not used to win in the districts are reused. For example, if a candidate loses in a particular district, those are added to his or her party's national total, impacting the apportionment of those 93 proportional seats.

Europe reacts to Orbán’s defeat

Once the results were confirmed, many European leaders welcomed the defeat of Viktor Orbán, who in recent years had repeatedly clashed with the European Union.

One of the first to respond was European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger. Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country returns to its European path. The Union grows stronger.”

She was joined by French President Emmanuel Macron: “France welcomes what has been a victory in terms of people taking part in the democratic process, and a victory which shows the attachment of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union and for Hungary's role in Europe.”

“The Hungarian people have decided. My heartfelt congratulations on your electoral success. I am looking forward to working with you. Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also weighed in: “Congratulations to Peter Magyar on TISZA's historic victory in the Hungarian election! I look forward to working closely with you – as Allies and EU Members. This marks a new chapter in the history of Hungary.”

“Today, Europe and European values win. Congratulations to all Hungarian citizens on a historic election,” wrote Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on X.