Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat after what he called a ″painful″ election result, ending 16 years in power for a powerful figure in the far-right movement allied with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Partial official results show opposition leader Peter Magyar's party dominating the vote, in a bombshell election result with repercussions around Europe and beyond. "Thank you, Hungary!'' Magyar posted on X, as thousands of his supporters thronged the banks of the Danube in Budapest.
Across town, Orban told his followers that “I congratulated the victorious party.''
“We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well,'' he said.
With 60% of the vote counted, Magyar’s Tisza party had more than 52% support to 38% for Orbán's governing Fidesz party. That proportion will change as more votes are counted.
It's a major blow for Orbán, the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has traveled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right.
The parties of both Orbán and Magyar said they had received reports of electoral violations, suggesting some results could be disputed by both sides.
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