Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule has ended and the system criticized as an "electoral autocracy" has been dismantled — it was defeated by a 45-year-old, former party insider who convinced many Hungarians to end this system.
"We made it," said Péter Magyar on the banks of the Danube River, in front of cheering supporters looking at Budapest's massive parliament. "Together we toppled the Hungarian regime."
Based on initial election results, with over 98% of votes counted, his Tisza party secured an extraordinary 138 seats, while Orbán's Fidesz party got 55 seats, and the far-right "Our Homeland" secured six.
This major victory not only gives Magyar the opportunity to reverse Orbán's increasingly unpopular domestic policies but will also reshape Hungary's global relations.
Orbán has been a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump — a fact that led to U.S. Vice President JD Vance's personal participation in the final week of the campaign — and his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin had become a major problem for the European Union and Ukraine.
Magyar, in contrast, campaigned on a platform of distancing Hungary from Russia and supporting friendly relations with the European Union and Ukraine.
