Orbán reelected Fidesz chief after election loss, plots autumn fightback against Magyar government

Internal party vote

Viktor Orbán, who served as Hungary's prime minister from 2010 until May, was reelected president of Fidesz on 13 June during the party's first congress since its April parliamentary defeat. He was the only candidate and received 729 votes, with none against and eight abstentions, according to broadcaster HírTV. The result cements his grip on the opposition party, even as some delegates voiced rare criticism.

I don't give up, never, never, never, never give up.

Acknowledging mistakes and blaming rivals

Orbán told the Budapest congress that he alone bore responsibility for the strategic errors that cost Fidesz its 16-year hold on government. He said the party is not yet ready to be a successful opposition force and must work hard in the coming months to recover.

I am responsible for the strategic errors and not others.

At the same time, he sharpened his attacks on Prime Minister Péter Magyar, calling him a "viceroy" serving Western interests and warning that "by autumn, Hungary will resist this constant abuse." He also described the European Union as the greatest danger to Hungarian sovereignty.

New political reality

Magyar's Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in April, securing 141 of the 199 parliamentary seats, while Fidesz collapsed from 133 seats to just 52. Orbán declined to take up his parliamentary mandate and will not lead the opposition from the legislature. Instead, he intends to steer the party from its organisation, a model reminiscent of Jarosław Kaczyński's role in Poland's PiS.

A fresh obstacle emerged when Tisza introduced a retroactive bill capping prime ministers at two four-year terms. The measure would bar Orbán, who held five mandates, from ever returning to the premiership.

Migrant camp allegation

On the morning of the congress, Magyar accused Orbán of secretly advancing plans for a migrant camp in the western Hungarian village of Vitnyéd, despite years of stridently anti‑immigration rhetoric. The proposal had already triggered protests from Austrian lawmakers when it surfaced in 2024. The contradiction threatens to deepen unease within Fidesz.

Reorganization from the ground up

Fidesz will abandon its constituency‑based structure and reorganise around municipal groups and provincial committees. The national leadership will expand from five to 28 members, adding the 20 provincial presidents and the heads of the parliamentary and European delegations. Orbán said the overhaul should make the party "orderly, strong and friendly" by the end of summer.

When the leaves fall, Fidesz must be ready.

Orbán is due to attend a Wednesday meeting of the ultraconservative Patriots for Europe group, which he founded two years ago.