Péter Magyar and Tisza Party Secure Historic Two-Thirds Majority in Hungary

Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party won a two-thirds majority in Hungary's parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 12, 2026, ending Viktor Orbán's 16-year grip on power. Orbán conceded defeat on Sunday evening, stating the result was "clear" and "painful" for his party, Fidesz, and confirmed he had congratulated his opponent. Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer and politician, campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, promising closer cooperation with the European Union and NATO and a break from the nationalist, anti-Brussels rhetoric that defined the Orbán era. The victory marks one of the most significant political shifts in Hungary since the country's post-communist transition, with Magyar expected to become the country's next prime minister.

Viktor Orbán first became prime minister of Hungary in 1998, serving until 2002, before returning to power in 2010. Over the following 16 years, his Fidesz party reshaped Hungary's constitutional framework, media landscape, and judiciary, drawing repeated criticism from European Union institutions over rule-of-law concerns. Hungary accumulated billions of euros in frozen EU funds during that period over disputes related to democratic backsliding. Magyar entered public life after making public a recording of a private conversation with his then-wife, Judit Varga, who served as Minister of Justice in Orbán's cabinet until her resignation in June 2023, in which she described the Orbán government in critical terms.

Magyar accuses outgoing minister of shredding Russia-linked files At his first press conference on Monday, April 13, Magyar accused outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó of destroying documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs related to EU sanctions against Russia. Magyar said he received the information on a piece of paper handed to him mid-press conference, interrupting his remarks. "They are destroying documents, and that will not help them — this is just to give you context on the situation in Hungary," he told reporters, comparing the alleged actions to the destruction of public archives "exactly like in the old communist era." Magyar said the information came from "a source inside the ministry," adding that numerous officials had turned to Tisza to denounce the outgoing government's actions. He acknowledged that his government would need to recover documents that had not been destroyed to understand the full scope of Hungary's international obligations and foreign loans. Magyar also called on President Tamás Sulyok to resign, describing him as a "puppet" of Orbán who was "appointed to sign everything." Szijjártó served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 2014 to 2026.

„We will have to get our hands on all the documents that have not been destroyed to find out the details.” — Péter Magyar via The Guardian

EU funds, referendums, and a new governing philosophy Magyar outlined his government's priorities at the press conference, placing the recovery of frozen EU funds at the top of the agenda. 20 (billion euros) — EU funds Magyar pledged to unblock for Hungary He promised to resume negotiations with the President of the European Commission to bring those resources back to Hungary, describing it as "one of our most important tasks." On governance, Magyar said his administration would rely on citizen participation, including referendums and online consultations for major decisions, arguing that the previous government had made it nearly impossible to call a referendum. He defended what he called "good-type populism," urging European leaders to reconnect with ordinary voters, and described visiting 700 cities and villages over two years of campaigning. Magyar also announced plans to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office, establish an asset recovery office, and amend Hungary's Fundamental Law to limit the prime minister to two consecutive terms. He acknowledged the EU's institutional shortcomings, calling it "a complicated bureaucratic organization that seeks compromises," but pledged constructive engagement rather than confrontation.

„I am sure we will have polemics, but we are not going there to fight for the sake of fighting, so that we can write on billboards that Brussels is evil and must be stopped.” — Péter Magyar via The Guardian

Diaspora votes broke sharply for Fidesz, Simion remarks draw attention Despite Tisza's dominant domestic performance, Fidesz retained overwhelming support among ethnic Hungarians voting from outside Hungary. According to the National Election Office of Hungary, 87.08 (percent) — share of valid mail-in votes won by Fidesz from ethnic Hungarians abroad of the valid and counted mail-in votes from the diaspora went to Fidesz, while Tisza received 10.68 percent — the first time Fidesz's share of mail-in votes had fallen below 90 percent, according to the Hungarian portal Telex. The total number of mail-in votes received from the entire diaspora reached 316,443, with the largest share coming from Romania, where over 300,000 ethnic Hungarians were registered to vote. Commentators estimated the diaspora votes could translate into a maximum of two to three parliamentary mandates. Magyar also addressed Orbán's support for George Simion, the leader of the Romanian party AUR, calling it a betrayal of ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania. Magyar said that in response to Orbán's backing of Simion, he organized a march of "one million steps" through Hungarian villages and into Oradea, in Romania's Partium region, to demonstrate solidarity with cross-border Hungarian communities. Simion himself reacted to Orbán's defeat on the X platform, writing in English: "Viktor Orbán lost the elections in Hungary. What will the future look like?"

Fidesz: 87.08, Tisza: 10.68