Hungary's TISZA Party Secures Constitutional Majority, Ending 16 Years of Orbán Rule

Hungary's opposition TISZA party, led by Péter Magyar, won a constitutional majority in Sunday's parliamentary elections, securing 138 out of 199 seats and ending 16 years of uninterrupted rule by Viktor Orbán's Fidesz. According to results based on nearly 99 percent of counted votes, TISZA obtained 53.2 percent of the vote, while Fidesz won 55 seats with 38.3 percent. The far-right Mi Hazánk party crossed the five-percent threshold, winning 6 seats with 5.9 percent of the vote. No left-wing, green, or liberal party entered the new National Assembly. The result gives Magyar's formation the majority required to amend the constitution and reverse laws passed under Orbán's government.

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

Viktor Orbán and Fidesz first came to power in Hungary in 2010 and governed continuously for 16 years. During that period, Budapest became the largest recipient of Chinese investments in Europe, attracting funds from companies including electric car manufacturer BYD and battery manufacturer CATL. The European Union partially froze funds for Hungary over allegations of rule-of-law violations by the Orbán administration. Péter Magyar, a lawyer by training, emerged from within the Fidesz political establishment before founding and leading TISZA to its 2026 victory.

European leaders welcome the end of Orbán's era European leaders responded swiftly to the result, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz describing the outcome as a signal against right-wing populism across the continent. Merz said he was "personally very grateful" and expressed relief at the unequivocal result at a press conference in Berlin on Monday. „Right-wing populism suffered a heavy defeat in Hungary yesterday, and this does not only apply to Hungary — a very clear signal is coming from Hungary against right-wing populism all over the world” — Friedrich Merz via Deutsche Welle The chancellor also said the result demonstrated that democratic societies remain resilient to Russian propaganda and external attempts to influence elections. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, speaking from South Korea, celebrated the result on the X platform. „Hungary, Poland, Europe. Together again! A great victory, dear friends!” — Donald Tusk via Do Rzeczy Tusk also added a phrase in Hungarian — "Russians, go home!" — repeating a slogan used at opposition demonstrations during the election campaign.

Warsaw expects EU funds to flow after Budapest shift Polish officials moved quickly to assess the practical consequences of the change in Budapest. Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, head of the Polish Ministry of National Defense, said the result represented a "change for the better in terms of Poland's security" and predicted that a 2 (billion PLN) — expected EU refund for Polish military equipment transferred to Ukraine reimbursement from European funds for military equipment transferred to Ukraine was now "very realistic." „The refund of 2 billion from European money for the Polish army — now this is probably becoming very realistic. I think that soon there will be a change of this decision at the European level as soon as there is a new government” — Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz via Do Rzeczy Kosiniak-Kamysz also said that under Orbán, Hungary's security vectors were "turned more toward Moscow" rather than toward Warsaw, Brussels, or other European capitals. Szymon Midera, chief executive of PKO Bank Polski, expressed hope for a more predictable regulatory environment in Hungary following the vote, as the bank prepares for expansion in the country. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun also congratulated TISZA and stated that Beijing wishes to maintain close high-level contacts with the new Hungarian government, strengthen political trust, and expand practical cooperation — a notable signal given that Hungary under Orbán had been Beijing's closest partner within the European Union.

PiS signals continuity with Fidesz despite policy gaps In Poland, the result prompted a debate within the right-wing opposition about the future of its relationship with Orbán's diminished party. Tobiasz Bocheński, a PiS member of the European Parliament and vice-president of the party, acknowledged on TVN24 that Orbán's eastern policy had been "absolutely divergent" from PiS's, particularly on the issue of blocking funds for Ukraine. Bocheński nonetheless confirmed that PiS would continue to cooperate with Fidesz as a right-wing partner, noting that Fidesz remains "the largest and strongest" right-wing force in Hungary. He also pointed out that Magyar himself came from within Fidesz, adding uncertainty about the direction of the new government's policy. Separately, Marcin Romanowski, a former deputy justice minister who had been using political asylum in Hungary during Orbán's government, acknowledged that his asylum status was likely to be revoked under the new authorities. Meanwhile, TISZA's published program includes anti-corruption reforms, a pro-European foreign policy, reducing the public finance deficit to 3 percent by 2030, and eventual entry into the Eurozone — an idea supported by more than 70 percent of Hungarians in last year's Eurobarometer survey, according to Rzeczpospolita.