Hungary’s Tisza Party wins parliamentary majority in election setback for Orbán

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has been defeated in parliamentary elections as the opposition Tisza Party secured a decisive majority.

Photo: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP

With about 97.74% of votes counted, the Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, secured 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament, while Fidesz won 54 seats, according to electoral data. Voter turnout was 79.51%, with approximately 6 million people casting ballots, according to Kommersant.

Orbán congratulated Magyar on his victory, according to post-election statements following the vote count.

Speaking to supporters in Budapest, Magyar called on President Tamás Sulyok to resign, saying he should be invited to form a government as prime minister-designate and then step down.

Magyar also called for the resignation of senior judicial officials, the chief prosecutor, the head of the State Audit Office of Hungary, and the head of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), among others.

He urged Orbán not to take any decisions that could constrain the incoming administration, calling on the Prime Minister to act as a caretaker government and avoid measures that would limit the future Tisza government’s room for maneuver.

Magyar said he would restore Hungary’s full participation in the European Union and NATO, stating that the country should “become a European country again.”

Preliminary results, with around 60% of ballots counted, already indicated a strong lead for Tisza, which ultimately secured a constitutional majority in parliament.