MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hungary: Magyar's victory shakes European politics, dealing blow to Trump and Moscow

Orbán called Magyar to congratulate him and then addressed supporters, calling the defeat “painful” but “clear.”

Opposition leader Péter Magyar won Hungary's parliamentary elections on Sunday in a landslide that ends Viktor Orbán's 16 consecutive years in power. With 97% of votes counted, Magyar's Tisza party secured 138 of 199 parliamentary seats — a two-thirds supermajority granting the power to amend the constitution. Orbán's Fidesz won 55 seats, while the far-right Our Homeland party took six.

Orbán called Magyar to congratulate him and then addressed supporters, calling the defeat “painful” but “clear.” “The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us,” he said. Magyar spoke to thousands of supporters gathered along the Danube River facing Parliament in Budapest. “Together we have liberated Hungary. We have taken back our country,” he declared, describing his victory as a “miracle” backed by 3.3 million votes.

Turnout reached 77.8% half an hour before polls closed, the highest since the fall of communism and above the previous record of 70.5% set in 2002, according to the National Election Office.

The result carries consequences well beyond Hungary's borders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote that “Hungary has chosen Europe,” while European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said “Hungary's place is at the heart of Europe.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also congratulated Magyar. Tusk added in Hungarian: “Russians, go home!”

The defeat is a setback for the Trump administration, which made significant efforts to keep Orbán in power. Vice President JD Vance visited Budapest during the campaign and Trump posted messages of support for the Hungarian prime minister, AP reported. The US National Security Strategy issued in December 2025 listed supporting European sovereigntist movements such as Orbán's among its priorities.

Moscow also loses its chief interlocutor within the European Union. Orbán maintained a privileged relationship with Vladimir Putin and repeatedly blocked EU decisions supporting Ukraine, including a 90-billion-euro loan designed to prevent Kyiv's bankruptcy. Allegations of Russian interference in the election were persistent: The Washington Post reported in March that Russia's foreign intelligence service proposed a false-flag operation to boost Orbán's electoral chances.

Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer who broke with Fidesz in 2024, pledged to bring Hungary back to the center of the EU and announced his first trips as prime minister would be to Warsaw, Vienna and Brussels. “Hungarians said 'yes' to Europe,” he said. He also committed to restoring the rule of law and investing in healthcare and education. Among his immediate priorities is unlocking roughly 18 billion euros in EU funds frozen over rule-of-law violations under Orbán.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Magyar and said Ukraine was ready to advance cooperation with Budapest.