Crushing Defeat: Viktor Orban Steps Down After 16 Years as Hungarian Prime Minister

According to AFP and Reuters on Monday (13/4/2026), based on the counting of 46 per cent of votes, the centrist-right, pro-European Union (EU) Tisza party has won 135 seats, or a two-thirds majority in the 199-member parliament, surpassing Orban’s Fidesz party.

Although the count is not yet final, Viktor Orban has acknowledged the crushing defeat. Viktor Orban stated that he is stepping down from the position he has held for 16 years.

“The election results, although not final, are clear and understandable; for us, this outcome is painful but unambiguous,” Orban said.

“We are no longer trusted to hold responsibility and the opportunity to govern. I have congratulated the winning party,” he added.

Polling agencies predict a record voter turnout, with Hungarian television showing long queues outside several polling stations in Budapest. Data half an hour before polls were scheduled to close showed 77.8 per cent of voters had cast their ballots, up from 67.8 per cent four years ago.

The end of Orban’s 16-year rule will have significant implications not only for Hungary but also for the European Union, Ukraine, and other regions.

This is likely to end Hungary’s obstructive role within the EU, potentially paving the way for €90 billion (£105 billion) in loans for war-torn Ukraine that have been blocked by Orban.

Orban’s defeat could also mean the release of EU funds for Hungary that were suspended by the bloc over what Brussels called Orban’s erosion of democratic standards.

Orban’s departure will also leave Russian President Vladimir Putin without his main ally in the EU and send shockwaves through Western right-wing circles, including the White House.

In Hungary, Tisza’s victory could open the door to reforms aimed at combating corruption and restoring the independence of the judiciary and other institutions.