Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban placed a painful call to opposition party leader Peter Magyar on Sunday, conceding defeat and bringing down the curtain on Orban's 16-year reign. With over 60 percent of the votes in the highest turn-out election in Hungary's post-communist history, Magyar's Tisza party had more than 52% support to 38% for Orbán’s governing Fidesz party. Astonishingly, Magyar's party went from holding zero seats in the 199-seat Hungarian National Assembly to winning a supermajority of at least 138 seats.
Hungary Parliament - Current Results
— civicAPI (@civicapi) April 12, 2026
- 🟦 ☑️ TISZA-EPP: 53.8% (1,778,860) - 138 projected seats
- 🟧 Fidesz/KDNP (inc): 38.2% (1,262,127) - 54 projected seats
- 🟫 MHM: 6.0% (199,275) - 7 projected seats
- 🟥 DK-S&D: 1.2% (39,839)
- 🟩 MKKP: 0.8% (26,928)
72.4% reporting
In the run-up to the election, President Trump dispatched Vice President JD Vance to Budapest to convey what was billed by Trump as his "complete and total endorsement” of Orban and his party (Vance Backs Orbán in Hungary, Blasts EU Interference, Hints at 'Tools' US Hasn't Yet Used Against Iran – RedState). Russian President Vladimir Putin also weighed in with promises of cheap energy to an Orban-led government as well as with the usual ham-handed "covert" political actions one expects of Russia.
While I was positive about Orban four years ago, seeing him as a rather blindered Hungary First politician, it has become obvious over time that he was working hand-in-glove with Putin to stymie European Union support for Ukraine and to prevent Ukraine's accession into the EU. The presence of uniformed Chinese police, yes, you read that correctly, engaged in joint patrols with Hungarian police in Budapest also brought up images of the concerted campaign of "elite capture" being executed by the Chinese in the Western Pacfic — see China Seeks to Buy Eight Pacific Island Nations While Joe Biden and His State Department Are Comatose – RedState — and which, I believe is well underway in Western Europe.
Some have painted a parade of horribles that will proceed from Orban's repudiation. There are dire predictions of untrammeled Third World immigration and Budapest being held in thrall by Brussels. None of that seems terribly likely to happen. Magyar had a prominent role in Orban's party until 2024.
Peter Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer, was an ally of Orban until 2024 when he broke ranks by calling out corruption and mismanagement at the highest levels and went on to establish the Tisza party
— Bloomberg (@business) April 12, 2026
Follow the latest: https://t.co/Y9aqxB89c7 pic.twitter.com/qtt5DZj0nA
He holds and ran on positions that are very similar to Orban's. In fact, had Orban not seemed either disinterested in or willfully blind to the massive corruption infesting his party, he may have won again today.
Péter Magyar is not the anti-Orbán. He is running on a platform that is Orbán without the corruption.
— Martin Varsavsky (@martinvars) April 12, 2026
As Orban, Magyar opposes the EU migration pact. He voted against the loan to Ukraine. He wants strong borders and has no plans to reverse Hungary’s energy ties with Russia…
What we can expect from Magyar is more of Orban's Hungarian nationalism. But it will come without the slobbering over Putin and the reflexive urge to be against anything other EU nations support. He opposes Third World immigration and is unlikely to back off that position. His main challenge will be to recharge Hungary's moribund economy. Orban's heavily state-directed economy has not kept pace with those of neighboring EU nations.
For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
Help us report the truth about the Trump administration’s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member