Orban’s failing election campaign has been backed by US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance
Voters in Hungary will head to the polls on Sunday as nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban faces the toughest opposition of his 16-year tenure.
Opinion polls suggest that Orban and his nationalist Fidesz party will lose power to the centre-right, pro-European Union Tisza party, led by former party loyalist Peter Magyar.
US Vice President JD Vance took time out of a busy schedule amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran to assist Orban with his election campaign, saying the European leader “stands up for the values of western civilisation”.
Orban, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn widespread criticism across Europe for his support for the invasion of Ukraine.
He previously shrugged off Russian drone incursions into Nato airspace, saying: “So what?” and declared: “Ukraine is not an independent country.”
Polling stations open on Sunday at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) and close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT). The results should become clear by late Sunday evening.
Update
Viktor Orbán has lost the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election, ending his 16-year rule after conceding defeat to opposition leader Péter Magyar. The election, held on 12 April 12, 2026, saw a record 79.5% voter turnout, with Magyar’s Tisza party winning a landslide victory.
Tisza secured 138 of 199 parliamentary seats, giving it a two-thirds supermajority that enables constitutional changes and dismantling of Orbán’s “illiberal democracy.” Orbán’s Fidesz party won 55 seats, a major decline from its previous dominance. Magyar, a former Fidesz loyalist, campaigned on anti-corruption, pro-EU policies, and restoring democratic institutions.
- Orbán called the result “painful but clear” and congratulated Magyar by phone.
- The outcome is expected to restore Hungary’s EU relations, potentially unlocking €90 billion in frozen EU funds and ending Hungary’s veto on aid to Ukraine.
- International leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, and Friedrich Merz, welcomed the result as a victory for European democracy.
