Viktor Orbán, Hungarian leader and key ally to Trump & Putin, concedes defeat after 16 years in power

He admitted the result on Sunday after a ​landslide election victory by the upstart opposition Tisza party.

Results based on 46% of votes counted showed the centre-right, pro-EU Tisza party of Peter Magyar, winning 135 seats, a crucial two-thirds majority, in the 199-member parliament, ahead of Orban's Fidesz party.

"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Orban said at the Fidesz campaign offices.

"The election result is painful ​for us, but clear."

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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer congratulated Peter Magyar on his victory over Orban in a social media post.

He hailed it as a “historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy”.

“I look forward to working with you for the security and prosperity of both our countries," he added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also wrote on social media in response to the result: "Europe’s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight. Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary".

A record voter turnout had been predicted, with Hungarian television showing long queues outside some voting stations in ​Budapest. At 1630, half an hour before polls were due to close, data showed 77.8% of voters ⁠casting their ballots, up from 67.8% four years earlier.

If the final results confirm the early readings, an end to Orban's period in ​government after 16 years in power would have significant implications not only for Hungary, but for the European Union, Ukraine and beyond.

It would ​likely spell an end to Hungary's adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan to war-battered Ukraine blocked by Orban.

Defeat for Orban could also mean the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary that the bloc had suspended due to what Brussels said was ​Orban's erosion of democratic standards.

Orban's exit would also deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in the EU and send shockwaves ​through Western right-wing circles, including the White House.

In 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.

However, the extent of such reforms will depend on whether Tisza can secure the two-thirds constitutional majority it would need to reverse much of Orban's legacy.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey wrote on X: “Trump, Putin, Farage… your boy took a hell of a beating.

“Congratulations to the people of Hungary for showing that populist extremists can be defeated – even despite Donald Trump’s best efforts.”

Sir Ed also mocked US vice-president JD Vance’s intervention in the campaign, in which he endorsed Mr Orban during a visit to Budapest earlier this month.

He added: “Has anyone noticed that wherever JD Vance goes, he just makes a mess.

“In Munich he insulted European allies. In Greenland he turned everyone against Trump. And now he’s helped Viktor Orban lose re-election.

“Maybe better to spend more time on the couch @VP?”

Other MPs reacting on social media to Mr Orban’s removal included Labour’s David Taylor, who said “good riddance”, Neil Coyle, who said “great news!”, and the SNP’s deputy Westminster leader Pete Wishart, who wrote: “Fantastic. Maybe there’s a sense that the far right are in retreat across Europe.”

Liam Byrne, the Labour chairman of the Commons Business and Trade Committee, said the result “matters far beyond Budapest” and “should give progressives heart everywhere”.

“Viktor Orban, the unshriven leader of Fidesz, built a template for how a democratically elected leader can hollow out democracy from within,” Mr Byrne wrote on Substack.

“But if the authoritarian populist playbook model can be beaten in Hungary, it can be beaten anywhere.”