Péter Magyar Secures Landslide Victory in Hungary Ending Viktor Orbán's 16-Year Rule

Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party won a landslide victory in Hungary's parliamentary elections on April 12, 2026, securing 138 of 199 seats and ending Viktor Orbán's 16-year grip on power. With nearly 99 percent of votes counted, Fidesz-KDNP retained only 55 seats, a dramatic collapse for a party that had governed with successive supermajorities. The remaining six seats went to the "Our Country" party, known in Hungarian as Mi Hazánk. Magyar's majority crosses the two-thirds threshold required for constitutional changes — the same instrument Orbán used to reshape Hungary's legal and political landscape over his long tenure. Speaking before thousands of supporters in central Budapest, Magyar framed the result as a historic turning point.

„Hungary will once again be a strong ally that will represent Hungarian interests. Our country's place is in Europe.” — Péter Magyar via Mediafax

Viktor Orbán first returned to power in 2010 after an earlier stint as prime minister from 1998 to 2002. His Fidesz party won successive two-thirds parliamentary majorities, which it used to rewrite Hungary's constitution, reshape the judiciary, and bring public media under government-aligned control. Hungary's relationship with the European Union deteriorated sharply over rule-of-law disputes, leading Brussels to freeze billions of euros in cohesion and recovery funds. The country's European Public Prosecutor's Office membership was blocked under Orbán, who also repeatedly vetoed EU-level decisions on Ukraine aid and sanctions against Russia.

138 (seats) — Tisza seats in 199-member Hungarian parliament

Tisza (Magyar): 138, Fidesz-KDNP (Orbán): 55, Mi Hazánk: 6

Magyar demands Orbán-era officials clear out immediately In his victory speech, Magyar demanded the immediate resignation of President Tamás Sulyok and a string of other officials appointed under Orbán, including the heads of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, the Court of Auditors, the Justice Office, the Competition Office, and the Media Authority. The demand came even as Sulyok formally invited Magyar to form a government, a procedural step that follows a parliamentary majority result. Magyar also called on Orbán himself to refrain from any action that would limit the incoming government's powers during the transition period.

„I urge all the puppets who have been in power for the last 16 years to do the same. Leave, leave. Do not wait until we send you.” — Péter Magyar via Mediafax

On policy, Magyar announced Hungary would join the European Public Prosecutor's Office and pledged to restore checks and balances across state institutions. He said his first foreign visits as prime minister would take him to Warsaw, then Vienna, and then Brussels, where he intends to negotiate the release of frozen EU funds.

„We will bring home the EU funds that belong to the Hungarian people.” — Péter Magyar via Mediafax

Magyar also announced plans to revitalize and expand the Visegrád Group format, signaling a desire to re-engage with regional partners on a new footing.

Orbán's closest regional allies pivot fast toward Magyar Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, one of Orbán's most consistent European allies, was among the first foreign leaders to offer congratulations, posting two messages on social media during the night between Sunday and Monday while on a visit to Vietnam. Fico said Slovakia was ready for "intensive cooperation" with the new Hungarian government and stressed that his cabinet's goals remained unchanged — including protecting the interests of national minorities and reviving the V4 format, which Bratislava is set to chair from July. He placed particular emphasis on energy, specifically the Druzhba pipeline, which has been out of service since late January following damage in Ukraine.

„With full respect, I take note of the decision of the citizens of Hungary and am ready for intensive cooperation with the new Hungarian prime minister, whom I congratulate on the election result.” — Robert Fico via Reuters

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, another Orbán ally whose ANO party shares membership with Fidesz in the Patriots for Europe faction in the European Parliament, also extended congratulations and pledged constructive cooperation.

„It has never been easy to face such a strong opponent as Viktor Orbán, but he won the trust of the majority of Hungarians and carries great hopes and expectations. He must not disappoint.” — Andrej Babiš via HotNews.ro

In a separate statement, Fico praised Orbán personally, saying Slovak-Hungarian relations had "never been at such a high level" and that Orbán's approach to sovereignty and national interests would "always be a great model" for him — a notable rhetorical balance between honoring the outgoing leader and pivoting toward his successor.

Brussels and Berlin welcome Hungary's return to European mainstream Congratulations arrived quickly from Western European capitals and EU institutions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen all sent messages to Magyar following the announcement of results, according to Polsat News. The reaction from Brussels carried particular weight given the years-long standoff between the EU and Budapest over rule-of-law conditions attached to frozen funds. Magyar's victory raised immediate expectations in EU circles that Hungary might drop its longstanding veto on a 90-billion-euro loan package for Ukraine, which Orbán had blocked, according to Reuters as cited by HotNews.ro. In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump had not commented on Orbán's defeat as of Monday morning, according to Polsat News. Several Republican lawmakers, however, broke with the administration's earlier posture of sympathy toward Orbán. Senator Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Hungarians had "rejected the harmful influence of Vladimir Putin and voted for democracy and the rule of law," while Congressman Don Bacon criticized the Trump administration for what he described as attempted interference in the Hungarian elections on Orbán's behalf.