Orban concedes defeat as Hungarian voters deliver sweeping rebuke to 16-year rule

AdvertisementHungaryChinaDiplomacyOrbán concedes defeat as Hungarian voters deliver sweeping rebuke to 16-year ruleRecord turnout hands opposition Tisza Party a decisive victory in Hungary 3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenXiaofei Xuin BudapestandFinbarr Berminghamin BrusselsPublished: 3:44am, 13 Apr 2026Updated: 3:53am, 13 Apr 2026Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on Hungary is over. The Hungarian Prime Minister had conceded the election in a phone call with Péter Magyar, the leader of the main opposition Tisza Party. “The election result is painful but clear, I congratulated the winning party,” Orban said from his election headquarters in Budapest. The result is a resounding rebuke to a government marked by authoritarianism and corruption, and closer ties with Beijing, Moscow and Donald Trump’s Washington over Brussels. AdvertisementHungarians turned out in record numbers to deliver it: 77.8 per cent by 6:30 PM – 30 minutes before polls closed – according to the national election office, 10 points higher than in 2022 and the highest since the fall of communism. “This time around, people, even in the smallest villages, could see that this inhumane power will lose and Hungary will become free again,” Magyar said shortly after polls closed as he hailed the impressive turnout numbers. AdvertisementTisza is expected to secure 136 seats while Orbán’s Fidesz party is expected to win 56 seats, based on 53.45 per cent of the votes counted. The far-right Mi Hazánk party will enter the parliament too with 7 seats. AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.8x0.9x1.0x1.1x1.2x1.5x1.75x00:0000:001.00x