Hungary's Tisza Party Wins Landslide Victory, Ending 16 Years of Orbán Rule

Hungary's opposition Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, won a landslide victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections, securing 138 seats in the 199-member National Assembly and dealing a historic defeat to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz-KDNP coalition after 16 years in power. Preliminary data from Hungary's National Election Office, covering nearly 99 percent of votes counted, showed Tisza winning 138 seats against Fidesz-KDNP's 55, with the far-right Our Homeland Movement taking the remaining 6 seats. The result gives Magyar's party not only an outright governing majority but a constitutional supermajority, crossing the threshold of 133 seats required to amend Hungary's constitution and repeal laws enacted under Orbán. Voter turnout reached a record 79.5 (%) — record parliamentary election turnout in Hungary, with 5,920,157 votes cast out of 7,446,662 counted ballot papers. Tisza received 53.52 percent of votes from the national list, while Fidesz received 37.9 percent and the Our Homeland Movement 5.88 percent.

Tisza: 138, Fidesz-KDNP: 55, Mi Hazánk: 6

Tisza: 53.52, Fidesz-KDNP: 37.9, Mi Hazánk: 5.88

Hungary's electoral system distributes 199 parliamentary seats through two mechanisms: 106 seats in single-member constituencies and 93 seats via a national list. Fidesz-KDNP had held a continuous governing majority since 2010, repeatedly securing constitutional supermajorities that allowed it to reshape Hungary's legal and institutional framework. The Tisza Party was founded in 2020, and Péter Magyar rose to national prominence as a critic of the Orbán government before leading the party into the 2026 elections.

Orbán concedes, crowd celebrates on the Danube Viktor Orbán addressed his supporters after 21:00 and acknowledged the outcome without ambiguity. „For us, these results are painful and clear. Responsibility and the possibility of governing have been taken from us. I congratulated my opponents, and I thank you. We managed to collect approx. 2.5 million votes. What these results mean for the country, we do not know yet. We will be in opposition, we will serve the nation and strengthen the community.” — Viktor Orbán via Polityka.pl Thousands of Hungarians gathered on Budapest's Batthyány Square and along the Danube embankment to celebrate, with TVN24 correspondent Maciej Warsiński describing the atmosphere as comparable to Hungary winning a European Championship or World Cup. National flags of Hungary, Tisza party symbols, and European Union flags were visible in the crowd, which chanted the slogan "Let the Tisza flow." On the other side of the Danube, Fidesz held what the same correspondent described as a "short and somewhat sad party." The contrast between the two gatherings, set against the illuminated Hungarian parliament building, marked the symbolic close of an era.

Magyar vows constitutional overhaul, names Poland as first stop Péter Magyar delivered his victory speech on a stage on the Danube embankment, walking through the crowd holding a Hungarian flag to the sound of Frank Sinatra's "My Way." „We did it! TISZA and Hungary have won the elections! And not by a little, but by a lot! We won very, very much! Together we changed the Orban system. Together we liberated Hungary!” — Péter Magyar via TVN24 Magyar announced that his new government would focus on restoring rule-of-law standards, joining the European Public Prosecutor's Office, rebuilding education and healthcare systems, and unblocking EU funds frozen due to disputes over democratic standards. He called on Hungary's president to immediately entrust him with forming a government, and demanded that the outgoing prime minister act only in a caretaker capacity. Magyar also announced that his first foreign trip as prime minister would be to Poland, followed by Austria and then Brussels to accelerate the restoration of EU financial support to Hungary. The crowd at his rally interrupted his speech with chants of "Ruszkik haza!" — "Russians, go home!" — a slogan that had featured prominently during the opposition's election campaign as a signal of a break from Budapest's previous posture toward Moscow.

Polish leaders react, Warsaw eyes unblocked EU funds Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, commenting from South Korea where he was on an official visit, welcomed the result on the X platform. „Hungary, Poland, Europe. Together again! A wonderful victory, dear friends!” — Donald Tusk via Do Rzeczy Tusk added the phrase "Russians, go home!" in Hungarian — "Ruszkik haza!" — echoing the slogan used at Tisza's campaign rallies. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense, and president of the PSL, pointed to a concrete policy consequence of the Hungarian result. „Everything indicates that the 2 billion zlotys from the EU coffers for equipment that Poland sent to Ukraine, blocked by the Orban government, will soon reach our Homeland.” — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz via Do Rzeczy Magyar's announcement that Warsaw would be his first destination abroad was met with enthusiasm at his Budapest rally, underscoring the new Hungarian government's intent to reorient the country's regional alliances and strengthen ties within a reconfigured Visegrád Group.