Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat in a closely watched general election on Sunday, after early results showed the opposition Tisza party looked set to win a two-thirds majority.
With nearly half of the votes counted on Sunday evening, Tisza was projected to win 135 of 199 seats in parliament, the national election office (NVI) said. Orbán's ruling Fidesz party would get 57 seats based on the current standing.
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Orbán said at the Fidesz campaign offices. "The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us. I have congratulated the winner."
The results mean that Tisza party leader Péter Magyar is on course to become the country’s new Prime Minister, ousting Orbán, who has led Hungary since 2010. While polling leading up to Sunday’s Election Day indicated that Orbán’s party was trailing Tisza by a significant margin, the outcome marks a stunning political shift in the European country
Orbán, who has cast himself as a proponent of “illiberal democracy,” is an icon of the global far-right and an ally of President Donald Trump—so much so that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance joined Orbán in Budapest on Tuesday, in an effort to boost the Prime Minister’s flailing campaign just days before the general election.
Vance said that Orbán was “wise and smart” and that his leadership “can provide a model to the Continent.”
