In one of Europe\u2019s most consequential elections of the year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n has conceded to the party led by P\u00e9ter Magyar, ending his run as Hungary\u2019s leader after more than 16 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With 60 percent of the votes counted, Magyar\u2019s Tisza Party had more than 52 percent of the vote compared with Orb\u00e1n\u2019s 38 percent for his governing Fidesz party, according to The Associated Press, despite a last-minute push from Vice President Vance during a rally for Orb\u00e1n last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vote distribution will change as more votes are counted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n has just called to congratulate us on our victory,\u201d Magyar said in a post on the social platform X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Orb\u00e1n, a far-right politician and ally of President Trump, sought to hold on to power in the face of a challenge from center-right Tisza Party leader Magyar, once himself a member of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s governing Fidesz party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vice President Vance held a rally in Budapest last week, praising Orb\u00e1n as a defender of \u201cWestern civilization\u201d and his strong stances against immigration, as well as his adversarial approach to European Union membership, in an effort to bolster his reelection bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Especially following Vance\u2019s rally, the result comes as a blow to Trump, who has long defended Orb\u00e1n\u2019s populist politics and conservative policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy Administration stands ready to use the full Economic Might of the United States to strengthen Hungary\u2019s Economy, as we have done for our Great Allies in the past, if Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n and the Hungarian People ever need it,\u201d Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. \u201cWe are excited to invest in the future Prosperity that will be generated by Orb\u00e1n\u2019s continued Leadership!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier Sunday, the count showed the Tisza Party ahead in 95 of Hungary\u2019s 106 constituencies, The Associated Press reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magyar said earlier in the day that he and the party were \u201ccautiously confident,\u201d according to reporting from The Associated Press. And around 6:30 p.m. local time, turnout had crested to 77 percent, according to the National Election Office and AP reporting, a number higher than any postcommunist election Hungary has held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m asking our supporters and all Hungarians: Let\u2019s stay peaceful, cheerful, and if the results confirm our expectations, let\u2019s throw a big, Hungarian carnival,\u201d Magyar said before final results came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Magyar broke with Orb\u00e1n in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The election was seen by some as a referendum on what Magyar called \u201ca choice between East or West.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Orb\u00e1n has repeatedly frustrated European Union efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, while cultivating close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and refusing to end Hungary\u2019s dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports. Orb\u00e1n has repeatedly frustrated these efforts, most recently blocking a $104 billion loan to Ukraine, which prompted other member countries to accuse him of hijacking the critical aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well,\u201d Orb\u00e1n said following his concession to Magyar, according to The Associated Press.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President of the European Union Commission Ursula von der Leyen was quick to post on X following Orb\u00e1n\u2019s defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger,\u201d von der Leyen, who had a sometimes-strained relationship with Orb\u00e1n, said Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n