![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/85188abfdb8eb330269b58e2ca96bc26.jpeg\"\/)
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Peter Magyar waves the Hungarian flag at a victory rally in Budapest on Sunday. (Denes Erdos \/ AP)<\/p>\n
(Denes Erdos)<\/p>\n
LONDON \u2014 \u201cEurope! Europe!\u201d was the chant ringing out from the banks of the Danube after an election landslide <\/a>that was celebrated across the continent as a stunning defeat for those threatening its security.<\/p>\n Presidents, prime ministers and European Union officials hailed the end of Viktor Orb\u00e1n’s 16-year rule in Hungary as a return to unity and shared values in the European Union, the 27-nation bloc that he criticized and sought to undermine.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n, a close ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin<\/a> and President Donald Trump, is viewed as a trailblazer for the global hard right. He conceded defeat Sunday night in what turned out to be a sweeping victory for challenger Peter Magyar and the center-right Tisza Party, which successfully united the country’s opposition behind a vow to restore ties with Europe.<\/p>\n Tisza was set to win 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament, with almost all votes counted.<\/p>\n A succession of leaders called Magyar to offer their congratulations even before he took to the stage to address large crowds in the capital Budapest to declare victory.<\/p>\n Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X: \u201cHungary, Poland, Europe, Back together! Glorious victory, dear friends!\u201d He added \u201cRuszkik haza,\u201d meaning \u201cRussians go home\u201d in Hungarian, a reference to Orban’s backing for Putin and repeated veto on European support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.<\/p>\n In a video clip posted by Tusk, the clearly delighted Polish leader is seen speaking to Magyar by phone and says “I think I’m happier than you.”<\/p>\n Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez spoke for many on the continent when he posted: “Today Europe wins and European values win.”<\/p>\n The European Democratic Party, a pan-European centrist group that supports greater integration across the continent, called Magyar’s victory “a cry that shakes the conscience of us all” and posted a clip<\/a> of crowds chanting “Europe! Europe!” at his victory rally in Budapest.<\/p>\n Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain \u2014 no longer a member of the E.U. but a close supporter of Ukraine \u2014 said: “This is an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy.”<\/p>\n The Kremlin, for its part, said Monday it hoped to continue its “pragmatic” ties with Hungary. \u201cThe Hungarians have made their choice. We respect this choice,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.<\/p>\n Supporters celebrate the resounding Tisza party win in Hungarian parliamentary elections on Sunday in Budapest. (Sean Gallup \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n (Sean Gallup)<\/p>\n Those celebrating the fall of Orb\u00e1n should be mindful, analysts cautioned, that the huge influence he and his supporters built across the country\u2019s institutions will not be easily removed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe structure of the last 16 years has been so entrenched and so much concerned with capturing all the commanding heights of the Hungarian state that it will take quite some time for anyone to unravel this,\u201d said Jonathan Eyal, associated director of the Royal United Services Institute, a think tank in London.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n, 62, is a key European ally of Trump whose populism and culture war posturing has provided a model for the MAGA movement<\/a>.<\/p>\n In two decades at the helm of the Fidesz Party he has staked out a reputation as a committed anti-immigration Christian nationalist who spoke of defending the West against radical Islam and globalist forces.<\/p>\n![\"Hungary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/a1e3b931816e20c45de9f0ec4545b0aa.jpeg\"\/)
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