Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán Loses Election After 16 Years in Power

AFP

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a prominent opponent of European Union efforts to support Ukraine in resisting Russia’s invasion, lost power on Sunday after 16 years in office, as Hungarian voters turned out in record numbers in favour of a pro-EU platform led by his centre-right rival Péter Magyar.

Orbán, 62, had secured endorsements from U.S. President Donald Trump and several leading European conservatives. However, early results indicated that his nationalist Fidesz party had been defeated by Magyar’s pro-EU Tisza Party, amid concerns over Hungary’s economic stagnation.

Once a vocal anti-Communist youth leader during the Cold War, Orbán—now the European Union’s longest-serving leader—has been regarded by supporters as a patriotic figure. Critics at home and abroad, however, have accused him of steering Hungary in an increasingly authoritarian direction.

Born in 1963 in a village west of Budapest, Orbán trained as a lawyer, briefly studied political philosophy at University of Oxford, and even played semi-professional football before becoming prime minister for the first time in 1998 at the age of 35.

Hungary joined NATO during Orbán’s tenure, although he lost power in 2002. After eight years in opposition, he returned with a landslide victory in 2010, enabling him to rewrite the constitution and introduce sweeping legislation aimed at establishing what he described as an “illiberal democracy”.

His consolidation of executive authority, alongside new restrictions on NGOs and media freedoms and a weakening of judicial independence, led to repeated clashes with the European Union over democratic standards. This culminated in a decision to suspend billions of euros in funding for Hungary.

That political dominance came to an abrupt end on Sunday night, as preliminary results suggested that Magyar was on course to secure a parliamentary supermajority, potentially allowing his centre-right movement to reverse many of Orbán’s most controversial reforms.

"What tonight's election result means for the fate of our country and nation and what the deeper or higher meaning of all this is, remains unclear. We do not know it yet. Time will tell," Orbán told supporters, conceding defeat.

"But however it has turned out, we will keep serving our country and the Hungarian nation from opposition."

During Europe’s 2015 migrant crisis, Orbán portrayed himself as the defender of Hungary’s national identity and Christian heritage, rejecting European Union quotas for accepting asylum seekers—many of whom were Muslims from the Middle East and elsewhere. His government has also taken gradual steps to curtail LGBTQ+ rights.

His hardline stance on immigration, alongside efforts to address Hungary’s declining birth rate, won him praise from conservative leaders, including President Trump.

Orbán—who also secured decisive election victories in 2014, 2018 and 2022—received endorsements in this election from Giorgia Meloni, Marine Le Pen of the National Rally, and Alice Weidel of the Alternative for Germany.

Trump also reiterated his support for Orbán, stating that U.S.–Hungary relations had reached “new heights” under their leadership, following years of strain during Democratic administrations in Washington.

Orbán has maintained close ties with Russia—a key energy supplier—and China, whose companies are investing heavily in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plants in the landlocked Central European country.

He has framed the election as a choice between “war or peace”, suggesting that the Tisza Party would draw Hungary into the ongoing war in neighbouring Ukraine—an accusation the party strongly denies.

"For peace, Fidesz is the safe choice," Orbán said on the campaign trail in February. He has clashed frequently with Ukraine's ⁠President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and infuriated Hungary's EU partners by blocking a 90 billion euro aid package for Kyiv.

But surveys showed Hungarian voters were more concerned with domestic issues such as healthcare and the economy, which has stagnated for the past three years.

Hungary experienced the EU's worst inflationary surge following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which lifted food prices close to EU average levels, while Hungarian wages are still third-lowest in the 27-member bloc.

Despite generous pro-family policies, including ⁠cheap loans and tax benefits, Orbán appears to have lost the support of younger voters as he has lurched to the right.

Polls before the election showed young voters particularly eager for change, with Orbán shifting back and forth between trying to woo the key demographic and deriding their opposition to his leadership as a 'phony rebellion'.

"I know young people like to turn against their parents and this can cause political problems," ⁠said Orbán, a father of five and a grandfather.

Despite attending countless election rallies and keeping up a barrage of interviews and social media posts, he gave a rare glimpse late last year into the toll that the campaign may have taken after so many years at the helm.

"When I was a soldier (doing military service), they told us a soldier cannot be cold, he can only perceive the cold," he said. "I am the same. I am not tired. It is just that my strength is running out."

Source: Reuters



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