Viktor Orban, the European Union's longest-serving leader, conceded defeat on Sunday after 16 years in power as Hungarians voted in record numbers for a pro-European course spearheaded by centre-right rival Peter Magyar.
With more than 98% of votes counted, Magyar's Tisza party is projected to win 137 seats in the 199-member parliament, a crucial two-thirds majority that will allow the new government to reverse Orban's controversial reforms and rewrite the constitution.
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Orban, said at Fidesz campaign offices, where supporters cried as they watched him speak on TV screens. "The election result is painful for us, but clear."
Election officials estimated turnout at a record 79% or more, in an election that many Hungarians saw as a watershed moment for their country.
Who is Peter Magyar?
Just two years ago, Peter Magyar was a little-known behind-the-scenes figure in Orban's Fidesz party. On Sunday, he became the man who ended the Orban era.
Magyar studied law at a Catholic university in Budapest and joined Fidesz shortly after it lost power in 2002. For over two decades, he worked as an important but low-profile operative within the party, until 2024, when he publicly broke with Fidesz following a sex abuse scandal that forced his ex-wife, Hungary's former justice minister, to resign.
Magyar says he never planned to become a mainstream political figure. But driven by what he saw as corruption and anti-democratic policies, he launched a new political movement under the Tisza banner to challenge Fidesz – despite sharing some of its conservative leanings.
Over the last two years, he built a wide support base by touring the small towns and villages where Fidesz traditionally dominated, giving up to seven speeches a day. On Sunday, that grassroots campaign transformed into a landslide victory.
In his victory speech before a massive crowd in Budapest, Magyar struck a reconciliatory tone while vowing to restore Hungarian democracy.
"Tisza did not just win the election, all signs point to a strong two-thirds majority at the National Assembly. This means a peaceful, efficient transfer of power," he said.
"Together, we liberated Hungary and got rid of the Orban regime," he added, as the crowd chanted "Ria-Ria-Hungaria" and "Russians go home."
Why did Orban lose?
Orban, who first became prime minister in 1998 at age 35, had dominated Hungarian politics for nearly two decades. He won sweeping election victories in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, using his two-thirds majorities to rewrite Hungary's constitution and pass laws aimed at creating what he called an "illiberal democracy."
His consolidation of executive power, curbs on NGO activities and media freedoms, and weakening of judicial independence led to clashes with the EU, which suspended billions of euros in funding for Hungary.
Hungary experienced the EU's worst inflationary surge following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. While food prices rose to near EU average levels, Hungarian wages remain the third-lowest in the 27-member bloc.
Orban framed the election as a choice between "war or peace," suggesting Tisza would drag Hungary into neighbouring Ukraine's conflict. But polls showed Hungarian voters were no longer sufficiently afraid of being drawn into the war, the number of Hungarians who feared the country could be dragged in had halved in recent years.
Despite generous pro-family policies, Orban appeared to have lost the support of younger voters as he lurched further right. "I know young people like to turn against their parents and this can cause political problems," Orban said during the campaign, a remark that may have further alienated the demographic.
What it means for Hungary and Europe
Magyar's victory will have significant implications not only for Hungary but for the EU, Ukraine and beyond.
Orban's ouster is expected to bring an end to Hungary's adversarial role within the EU, possibly paving the way for a 90 billion-euro ($105 billion) loan to war-battered Ukraine that Orban had blocked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Magyar's victory, calling it a "resounding victory" for a "constructive approach."
European leaders rushed to congratulate Magyar. "Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he looked forward to working with Magyar "toward a strong, secure, and above all united Europe."
Orban was Vladimir Putin's main ally in the EU, a pro-Moscow leader who opposed further sanctions against Russia, opposed further assistance for Ukraine, and blocked Ukraine's path to EU membership. "This is clearly bad news for Vladimir Putin, very bad news," said BBC Russia editor Steve Rosenberg.
Magyar's two-thirds majority will also allow him to reverse Orban's controversial reforms, restore the independence of the judiciary, combat corruption, and unlock billions in suspended EU funds. "The puppets of the Orban government must go and the institutions of the state have to change," Magyar vowed.
A historic night in Budapest
As the results became clear, opposition supporters flooded the streets of Budapest, waving Hungarian and EU flags, setting off flares, and dancing to music.
"I'm finally proud to be Hungarian," one woman told the BBC.
"It feels like this is our first and last chance in a really long time to actually change the system," said 24-year-old Dorina Nyul, who attended Tisza's election night event. "I can't even describe the feeling."
Orban, meanwhile, faces an uncertain future leading his party from opposition for the first time since 2010.
"What tonight's election result means for the fate of our country and nation remains unclear," Orban told supporters. "We do not know it yet. Time will tell. But however it has turned out, we will keep serving our country and the Hungarian nation from opposition."
