BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥� Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favor of result with global repercussions.
It was a stunning blow for Orb谩n 鈥� a close ally of both U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin 鈥� who quickly conceded defeat after what he called a . U.S. Vice President JD Vance had made a just days earlier, meant to help push Orb谩n over the finish line.
Election victor P茅ter Magyar, a former Orb谩n loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary’s relationships with the European Union and NATO 鈥� ties that frayed under Orb谩n. European leaders quickly congratulated Magyar.
His victory was expected to transform political dynamics within the EU, where Orb谩n had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, prompting concerns he sought to break it up from the inside.
It will also reverberate among far-right movements around the world, which have viewed Orb谩n as a beacon for how nationalist populism can be used to wage culture wars and leverage state power to undermine opponents.
It’s not yet clear whether Magyar鈥檚 Tisza party will have the two-thirds majority in parliament, which would give it the numbers needed for major changes in legislation. With 93% of the vote counted, it had more than 53% support to 37% for Orb谩n鈥檚 governing Fidesz party and looked set to win 94 of Hungary’s 106 voting districts.
鈥淚 congratulated the victorious party,鈥� Orban told followers. 鈥淲e are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition.鈥�
Jubilation erupted along the Danube
In a speech to tens of thousands of jubilant supporters at a victory party along the Danube River, Magyar said his voters had rewritten Hungarian history.
鈥淭onight, truth prevailed over lies. Today, we won because Hungarians didn鈥檛 ask what their homeland could do for them 鈥� they asked what they could do for their homeland. You found the answer. And you followed through,鈥� he said.
On the streets of Budapest, drivers blared car horns and cranked up anti-government songs while people marching in the streets chanted and screamed.
Many revelers chanted 鈥淩uszkik haza!鈥� or 鈥淩ussians go home!鈥� 鈥� a phrase used widely during Hungary鈥檚 1956 anti-Soviet revolution, and which had gained increasing currency amid Orb谩n鈥檚 drift toward Moscow.
Turnout in the election was nearly 80%, according to the National Election Office, a record number in any vote in Hungary鈥檚 post-Communist history.
鈥楥hoice between East or West鈥�
Orb谩n, the EU鈥檚 longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, traveled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the by the global far-right.
The EU will be waiting to see how Magyar changes Hungary’s approach to Ukraine. Orb谩n repeatedly frustrated EU efforts to support the neighboring country in its war against Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion, while cultivating close ties to Putin and refusing to end Hungary鈥檚 dependence on Russian energy imports.
Recent revelations have shown a top member of Orb谩n’s government frequently shared the contents of EU discussions with Moscow, raising accusations that Hungary was acting on Russia鈥檚 behalf within the bloc.
Members of Trump’s 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� movement are among those who see Orb谩n’s government and his Fidesz political party as of conservative, anti-globalist politics in action, while he is and the rule of law.
In Budapest, Marcell Mehringer, 21, said he was voting 鈥減rimarily so that Hungary will finally be a so-called European country, and so that young people, and really everyone, will do their fundamental civic duty to unite this nation a bit and to breakdown these boundaries borne of hatred.鈥�
Strained relationship with the EU
During his 16 years as prime minister, Orb谩n launched harsh and , subverted many of Hungary’s institutions and been accused of siphoning large sums of money into the coffers of his allied business elite, an allegation he denies.
He also heavily strained Hungary’s relationship with the EU. Although Hungary is one of the smaller EU countries, with a population of 9.5 million, Orb谩n has repeatedly used his veto to block decisions that require unanimity.
Most recently, he to Ukraine, prompting his partners to accuse him of hijacking the critical aid.
His challenger came from the inside
Magyar, 45, rapidly rose to become Orb谩n’s most serious challenger.
A former insider within Orb谩n’s Fidesz, Magyar broke with the party in 2024 and quickly formed Tisza. Since then, he has toured Hungary relentlessly, holding in a campaign blitz that recently had him visiting up to six towns daily.
In an earlier this month, Magyar said the election will be a 鈥渞eferendum鈥� on whether Hungary continues on its drift toward Russia under Orb谩n, or can retake its place among the democratic societies of Europe.
Tisza is a member of the European People’s Party, the mainstream, center-right political family with leaders governing 12 of the EU’s 27 nations.
Uphill election battle
Magyar faced a tough fight. Orb谩n’s control of Hungary’s public media, which he has transformed into a mouthpiece for his party, and vast swaths of the private media market give him an advantage in spreading his message.
The unilateral transformation of Hungary’s electoral system and gerrymandering of its 106 voting districts by Fidesz also required Tisza to gain an estimated 5% more votes than Orb谩n鈥檚 party to achieve a simple majority.
Additionally, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries had the right to vote in Hungarian elections and traditionally have voted overwhelmingly for Orb谩n’s party.
Russian secret services have plotted to interfere and tip the election in Orb谩n’s favor, according to numerous media reports including by The Washington Post. The prime minister, however, , as well as Hungary’s allies in the EU, of seeking to interfere in the vote to install a 鈥減ro-Ukraine鈥� government.
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Associated Press journalists B茅la Szandelszky, Marko Drobnjakovic, Ivan L. Nagy, Florent Bajrami in Budapest, Hungary, and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
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