Viktor Orban, Hungary’s nationalist leader and a longstanding ally of United States President Donald Trump, lost to conservative Peter Magyar in elections held on Sunday after being in power for 16 years.
According to the official poll results, Magyar’s party gained 137 seats out of the 199 parliamentary seats in Hungary by the time 67 percent of precincts were counted, giving Magyar a landslide victory.
“The election results, though not yet final, are clear and understandable; for us, they are painful but unambiguous,” Orban said while talking to reporters.
Also read: Hungary election result: Trump ally Viktor Orban calls Peter Magyar; concedes defeat
“We have not been entrusted with the responsibility and opportunity to govern. I congratulated the winning party,” he added.
This defeat comes at a time when the United States is already embroiled in a war with Iran in West Asia. Orban was championed and backed by Trump and is also considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
How EU leaders reacted to Orban’s defeat
The leaders of European nations welcomed the huge win of Peter Magyar, with President of the European Commission saying, “Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight”.
Also read: Peter Magyar: 10 key facts to know about next Hungary PM after Viktor Orban concedes
“Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger,” she wrote in a post on X.
Congratulating Magyar, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that he looked forward to working with him and to the cooperation for “a strong, secure, and above all united Europe.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said that he spoke to Magyar to congratulate him. “France welcomes the victory of democratic participation, the Hungarian people’s commitment to the values of the European Union, and Hungary’s commitment to Europe. Let us move forward together towards a more sovereign Europe, for the security of our continent, our competitiveness, and our democracy,” he said.
Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni mentioned Viktor Orban in her congratulatory message to Magyar. Calling Orban her friend, she said, “I thank my friend Viktor Orban for the intense collaboration of these years, and I know that even from the opposition he will continue to serve his Nation.”
“Italy and Hungary are nations bound by a deep bond of friendship and I am certain that we will continue to collaborate in a constructive spirit in the interest of our peoples and the common challenges at the European and international level,” she added.
Spanish President Pedro Sanchez also congratulated Magyar and said that today, European values have won.
“Congratulations to all Hungarian citizens for historic elections. Looking forward to working together, @magyarpeterMP, for a better future for all Europeans,” he wrote.
