Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday conceded a “painful” defeat in his bid for reelection to his rival, opposition leader Peter Magyar.
“I congratulated the victorious party,” Orbán told his followers after the results trickled in, confirming the feisty populist’s sixteen years in power have come to an end. “We are going to serve the Hungarian nation and our homeland from opposition as well.”
The development marks a blow to Washington’s support for Orban’s reelection and comes after Magyar’s Tisza party was viewed as the favorite to win in the April 12 election, holding a 10-point lead over the ruling Fidesz party, according to Politico’s polling analysis. With 60% of the vote counted on Sunday, Magyar’s Tisza party had more than 52% support to 38% for Orbán’s governing Fidesz party, according to the Associated Press.
As voting wrapped up, Magyar said in a Facebook message that Orbán “congratulated us on our victory over the phone.” “Thank you Hungary!” Magyar said in another post.
The election dealt a blow to Orbán’s effort to secure a fifth consecutive term as Hungary’s prime minister. Viewed as a key ally by the Trump administration, Orbán is highly critical of the European establishment and is often more aligned with Washington than its neighbors on matters such as the Russia-Ukraine war and energy policy.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance spent two days in Hungary touting Orbán’s leadership ahead of the election, and accusing the European Union of seeking to interfere on behalf of Magyar.
VANCE INSISTS ‘ORBAN IS GOING TO WIN’ AS HUNGARY OPPOSITION SAYS RESULTS ‘NOT WRITTEN IN WASHINGTON’
“I’m here because of the moral cooperation between our two countries, because what the United States and Hungary together represent under Viktor’s leadership and under President Trump’s leadership is the defense of Western civilization,” Vance said. “Unfortunately, there have been too few people who have been willing to stand up for the values of Western civilization. Viktor Orban is the rare exception that has unfortunately proved the rule.”
“Of course, I want to help as much as I possibly can, the prime minister, as he faces this election season,” the vice president continued. “I did want to send a signal to everybody, particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels who have done everything that they can to hold down the people of Hungary because they don’t like the leader who has actually stood up for the people of Hungary. I think it’s important to say that.”