Hungary’s incumbent Prime Minister Péter Magyar pledged to bring the country closer to the European Union after he ended the 16-year-long reign of the country’s longtime authoritative premier Viktor Orban.

Péter Magyar, the man who has managed to end the 16-year-long reign of Hungarian Prime Minister
Viktor Orbán, told a jubilant crowd on Sunday evening that “together we replaced the Orbán regime, together we liberated Hungary. We took our country back.”

Addressing a massive gathering in Budapest, Magyar, the leader of the
Tisza party, said the victory was so large, it was “visible from the moon and every window in Hungary.” “Never in the history of democratic Hungary have so many people voted, and no other party has ever received such a big mandate,” Magyar said, adding that his party will secure a supermajority of more than two-thirds of the seats in the parliament.

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He went on to thank his voters, noting that 3.3 million people had supported him, the highest number any Hungarian party has ever received. The historic address from Hungary’s premier came right after the country’s longtime PM
Viktor Orban had conceded defeat in the country’s parliamentary election.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orban just called to congratulate us on our victory,” Magyar posted on social media on Sunday as the results rolled in. With 97.35 per cent of the votes counted, Magyar’s centre-right party secured 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament. Meanwhile, Orban’s Fidesz managed to secure only 55 seats.

Magyar pledges for closer ties with the EU

During his speech, Magyar promised the gathering in Budapest that he would steer Hungary back towards the
European Union after years of tension with the regional bloc and the outgoing Orbán government.

“Hungarians said ‘yes’ to Europe,” Magyar declared, saying that his new government will reintegrate Hungary into the European Union’s judicial system. Hungary is again going to be a very strong ally of the European Union and NATO,” Magyar said.

The Tisza leader told supporters that he plans on travelling first to Poland as prime minister, then to Vienna, and finally to Brussels, where the European Parliament convenes. “Hungary has been in Europe for 1000 years and is going to stay there,” Magyar said.

Hence, Orban’s loss will likely put an end to Hungary’s adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a 90 billion euro ($105bn) loan to war-battered Ukraine, which had been blocked by Orban. Magyar’s win also means the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary that the bloc had suspended due to Brussels accusation of Orban’s erosion of democratic standards.

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Meanwhile, Orban’s exit would deprive Russian President
Vladimir Putin of a key ally in the EU and would also send shockwaves to Western right-wing circles, including US President Donald Trump’s
MAGA followers. Within Hungary, a Tisza victory could open the way for reforms that the party says would aim to combat corruption and restore the independence of the judiciary and other institutions.

With inputs from agencies.

First Published:
April 13, 2026, 06:06 IST

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