BUDAPEST (FN), Hungary entered a new political era Sunday as opposition leader Péter Magyar swept to power in a decisive parliamentary election victory, ousting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in office.
With nearly all ballots counted, Magyar’s center-right Tisza Party is projected to win 137 seats in the 199-member parliament, securing a two-thirds supermajority. Orbán’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP alliance is set to claim just 55 seats, while the far-right Our Homeland party will hold six.
In a rare and swift concession, Orbán described the outcome as “painful” but “clear,” congratulating Magyar and acknowledging the end of his long tenure. Addressing jubilant supporters in Budapest, Magyar declared, “Together we overthrew the Hungarian regime.” He pledged to reverse Orbán-era reforms and rebuild Hungary’s strained ties with the European Union.
Orbán, long considered the EU’s most autocratic leader and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaves office after the highest voter turnout in Hungary’s democratic history. Analysts say the result will reverberate across Europe, reshaping Hungary’s role in the EU and NATO.
Magyar, a 45-year-old former insider turned reformist, built momentum over two years by campaigning across towns and villages, promising democratic renewal. His victory marks Hungary’s most significant political shift since the fall of communism, positioning him to lead the country into a new chapter with sweeping parliamentary authority.
