Budapest: Hungary has voted for a historic change by sweeping Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from power after 16 years and electing one of his former allies as its new leader.
The emphatic victory for challenger Péter Magyar appears set to install a new government with as many as two thirds of the seats in parliament.
Supporters of Magyar and his Tisza party erupted in cheers at their celebrations in Budapest after Orbán acknowledged the results.
Early results indicated Magyar would gain a majority, but the vote count showed over time he and his party could win 135 seats, passing a crucial threshold to sweep away Orbán’s laws.
The result came after exit polls indicated a Tisza victory soon after voting stations closed at 7pm on Sunday night in Hungary (3am on Monday, AEST).
The polls suggested Tisza would win about 55 per cent of the vote, far ahead of Fidesz on about 40 per cent. One key question was whether the far-right Mi Hazánk party would get more than 5 per cent – the benchmark for getting into parliament.
The campaign was marked by competing claims of foreign interference as Orbán accused Magyar of being close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and therefore taking Hungary into the war with Russia.
Orban relied heavily on outside help, however, and acclaimed a pledge from US President Donald Trump to throw the “full economic might” of the US behind a Hungary under Orbán.
Voters who spoke to this masthead on polling day were divided on Trump’s endorsement, with some welcoming the pledge and others saying it made no difference because they were more worried about corruption in the Orbán government.
Thousands gathered at competing rallies in Budapest on election night, with Tisza supporters cheering Magyar at their celebrations on the banks of the Danube near the nation’s historic parliament.
The outcome heightens concerns about the way political opponents will react to the winner in the days ahead – and whether some on the losing side may take to the streets in protest.
There are also significant doubts about Magyar’s ability to enact his agenda when he may fall short of gaining two thirds of the seats in parliament.
While Magyar and his Tisza party appear to have the numbers to form government with a majority of seats, they need more than two thirds to change the constitution and overturn many of Orbán’s decisions, such as his appointment of allies to institutional posts.
The president, Tamás Sulyok, is aligned with Orbán and is expected to stymie Magyar’s agenda unless the new prime minister has overwhelming support in parliament
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
