Hungary has delivered one of the most consequential election results in Europe in recent years, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s long hold on power and signalling a decisive shift in the country’s political direction.

After 16 years in office, Orbán and his Fidesz party were defeated by opposition leader Péter Magyar and his Tisza party, which secured a commanding parliamentary majority. The scale of the victory suggests not just a change in leadership, but a broader rejection of the political model that has defined Hungary since 2010.

Tisza, which was running in its first election, won 138 of the 199 seats in the Hungarian parliament. Fidesz won 55, a decline of 80 seats compared to the previous election. A right-wing party, Our Homeland, won the other six seats.

Orbán had the longest tenure of any Hungarian prime minister, having been in the position for a total of nearly twenty years, first serving as prime minister from 1998 to 2002 and again from 2010 to 2026.

Turnout was high, at nearly 80% (nearly 10 points more than turnout at the previous election in 2022), reflecting the weight of the choice facing voters. Economic pressures appear to have played a central role. Rising costs, stagnant economic growth, and persistent concerns over corruption and public services combined to erode support for the incumbent government.

Orbán had become one of Europe’s most prominent advocates of what he termed “illiberal democracy,” consolidating power over institutions and maintaining closer ties with Russia than most European Union (EU) states. That approach placed Hungary increasingly at odds with Brussels, with tensions culminating in the freezing of billions in EU funds.

Magyar’s campaign focused on reversing that trajectory. A former Orbán ally, Magyar pledged to restore institutional independence, tackle corruption, and rebuild Hungary’s relationship with the EU. His victory is expected to shift the country more firmly back toward Western alignment and could unlock stalled EU funding flows.

The result will resonate well beyond Hungary. It offers a reminder that even deeply entrenched political systems remain vulnerable to electoral change when economic dissatisfaction and institutional concerns converge.