The parliamentary election of Hungary last Sunday concluded with Péter Magyar, President of the Tisza party, defeating Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party. Orbán was the European Union’s (EU) longest-serving prime minister, and his defeat ended 16 years of populist, right-wing rule.
After 98% of the votes were counted, Magyar’s party led with 53.6% of the popular votes compared to 37.8% for Orbán’s party. Magyar’s party won a two-thirds supermajority in the National Assembly, winning the parliamentary election.
Every four years, Hungary holds parliamentary elections in a two-ballot system. The first ballot elects 106 representatives from local districts, where the candidate with the most votes wins. In the second ballot, voters choose a party to determine the remaining 93 seats, which are distributed proportionally. A party that wins 133 out of 199 seats gains a two-thirds supermajority, granting it power to amend the Constitution of Hungary.
When running for Parliament in 2010, Orbán’s campaign was built on Christian social values and Hungarian nationalism, opposing Western liberalism. Since then, Orbán installed party loyalists in courts and institutions, and changed the electoral system in the Fidesz party’s favor.
Orbán, an ally of the U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, conceded the election Sunday night. According to Politico, Orbán’s government “championed his advocacy for illiberal democracy abroad and sought to emulate it at home.”
Magyar’s initial rise as a leader was triggered when witnessing governmental corruption through a scandal involving Katalin Novák – former Hungarian President and Orbán’s ally — and Justice Minister Judit Varga, a member of the Fidesz party and Magyar’s ex-wife. Magyar stands for “repairing trust and re-anchoring the country in its alliances, while still strengthening its sovereignty. It is a foreign policy of recommitment — but the change it could bring is radical,” according to The European Council on Foreign Relations.
A hidden scandal was revealed in February 2024 — a year after the event — where Novák pardoned Endre Kónya, the former deputy director of the Kossuth Zsuzsa Children’s Home in Bicske, who was convicted of helping to cover up child sexual abuse by his superior, János Vásárhelyi. Now, Vásárhelyi is currently serving his eight-year sentence for sexually abusing children.
Independent Hungarian news website 444 revealed the scandal, and with the public dissatisfaction, days later, Orban issued a law to forbid the pardon of any convicted child abuser. In response, Hungarians protested on Castle Hill by Sandor-Palace, and both Novak and Varga resigned in the following days.
During an interview with an independent news media outlet, Partizán, Magyar shed light on the inner workings of the Orbán administration and expressed outrage over the fact that Novak and Varga were forced to resign, revealing that the party tolerated crimes against children it swore to protect. Over the years, the regime was characterized by scandals and corruption, leading to protests from the people of Hungary.
“I do not want to be part of a system for a minute longer where the real culprits hide behind women’s skirts,” Magyar said in the interview with Partizan. He became a critic of the regime’s governance and led the Tisza party in being the key spokesperson.
With Magyar campaigning since the spring of 2024, young voters shifted away from Fidesz. At the conclusion of the election, only 14% of voters under age 30 voted for the party. On the other hand, youth (30 and under) began to support Magyar, with 65% of them voting, according to the Associated Press.
Dani Ambrus (10) explains how his family was all “cheering for Magyar to win and hoping that Viktor Orbán would be brought down.”
When thinking about his future, Ambrus remarks how he would “consider” moving to Hungary in his future and his family being “pretty excited” about the results.
“I think they were done with Viktor Orbán’s corruption and his propaganda and all that,” Ambrus said. “So … I think it was good energy, and they’re excited for Magyar’s victory.”
Dénes Hermann, who is studying international business, further expands on the propoganda he witnessed.
“An amazing state propaganda machine was built, with the complete occupation and expropriation of the state media, and an incredible amount of public money and taxpayer money was poured into the operation of this machine,” Dénes Hermann said.
Hermann touches on the “huge festival atmosphere on the streets of Budapest.”
“I was personally there with a few friends at the Tisza results waiting area,” Dénes Hermann said. “It was a fantastic atmosphere, everyone was incredibly happy, people hugged each other, cheered, and many cried with joy. You could see a lot of civil servants, especially police officers, celebrating; it was a truly festive atmosphere.”
Beatrix Hermann, a researcher working in the field of biomedical sciences, explains that the Fidesz party’s “corruption” was “not only evident at higher levels but also became noticeable in smaller communities, where it was widely perceived that having connections close to the government could be highly beneficial.”
She explained how the administration affected her professional life.
“There were concerns about political influence in the evaluation of scientific grant applications and the awarding of academic recognitions,” Beatrix Hermann said. “These trends have significantly contributed to my growing dissatisfaction.”
Olivia Szófia (10), a student at San Marcos High School who was born in Hungary, heard about Hungarian politics from her parents and social media.
“[Orbán was] stealing money from Hungary and … not putting it back into anything like that, we can see,” Szófia said. “He’s just taking it for himself. Not .. back into healthcare. The streets [are] dirty. Nothing is going back to the community or the government.”
Zalán Hermann, a high school student in Hungary, began to pay more attention to politics when Magyar began to publish posts and plan speeches.
“I have basically lived my whole life during the Orbán era, since I was about two years old,” Zalán Hermann said. “What frustrates me the most are cases related to child protection failures and the misuse of public funds.”
Upon seeing last week’s election results, he felt a “sense of relief and satisfaction” as his first time voting “contributed to this outcome.”
Bence Pálmai grew up in Hungary and is now an international truck driver throughout Europe. He actively follows Hungarian political and economic news, specifically following Friderikusz Podcast, Partizan and Della.
“[The] last 16 years were a catastrophe,” Pálmai said. “[It was a] wasted time … terrible job from Fidesz. They didn’t care for Hungarian’s well being … Look at the education, health and infrastructure. Everything went down.”
For many Hungarians, Magyar’s emergence as a new leader brought hope.
Szonja Balázs, who grew up in Hungary and now attends the University of Southern California as a member of the women’s rowing team, did not feel “connected to Hungary.”
“I feel like we needed that to wake up the country because … whenever I went back to Hungary, it was always like everyone was so depressed,” Balázs said. “I didn’t feel good about going home because I knew what I could expect.”
On election day, Balázs “saw people going out there supporting each other.”
“[People] were acting like a community, and just being happy … that was something I’ve never, ever [have] seen in my life,” Balázs said.
Tamás Horváth, a retired military officer and business manager at the Hungarian company EQUANS, follows domestic and foreign political developments on a “daily basis.” The Orbán administration personally impacted Horváth when they abolished his statutory service pension after he served in the military for 31 years.
“He converted the pension into a so-called service annuity that can be withdrawn at any time, and he even taxed this amount,” Horváth said. “He limited my employment opportunities by saying that I can only work in the civil sector if my gross salary reaches 18 times the Hungarian minimum wage, and I will not receive my established service contribution for the remaining months of that year. This currently only applies to former soldiers, police officers and firefighters in Hungary. [The] first measures of the Orbán government, he abolished the voluntary pension funds in Hungary, nationalized the money collected in the fund until then, and took it away. This caused me a significant financial disadvantage.”
The election results are notable due to Hungary’s role within the EU. Under Orbán’s regime, Orbán prevented EU efforts to help Ukraine by vetoing a $103 billion aid package and using EU funds to make people close to Orbán richer.
Additionally, at the beginning of 2026, the EU froze $17 billion to Hungary, placing it into a decreased financial situation. After Magyar’s election, he collaborated with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to begin the processes of reinstating these funds.
“The people of Hungary have spoken, and they have reclaimed their European path,” von der Leyen said. “Today, of course, is a day to celebrate.”
Another source of frustration for Hungarians was the economy under Orban’s rule. The Financial Times called the economy a “model for disaster” as the productivity growth has been low, and rates of investment in education and research and development are far below the EU average. As a result, Hungarians of all ages, especially young ones, left or planned to leave their country. Recent surveys show that up to 85% of Hungarian emigrants are under 40. They also found that 57% of Hungarians aged 16 to 24 envision a future abroad within a decade, while only 6% plan to stay their whole life.
Beatrix Hermann, who has two sons, was “deeply concerned about the future” for them “in this environment.”
“We tried to raise them with values such as hard work, learning, integrity, and helping others,” Beatrix Hermann said. “However, it often felt that these were not the qualities that society rewarded. Instead, those who were more opportunistic, adaptable in a negative sense, or even two-faced seemed to have an easier path to success. This is not the kind of future I would wish for them.”
In an interview, Magyar remarks how “Hungary is in trouble in every respect.”
“It’s been plundered, looted, betrayed, saddled with debt and ruined. It’s been turned into the poorest and most corrupt country in the European Union,” Magyar said. “A systemic change is needed, since ours has been effectively controlled by an organized criminal group.”
Tens of thousands of Hungarians celebrated the results on the torchlit streets of Budapest last night, and the election received global attention and also backlash from Fidesz supporters.
Magyar and his supporters celebrated the victory, marking a “historical change for Hungarians,” according to Horváth.
At a press conference the day after his election, Magyar said, “Today, truth triumphed over lies.”
Pálmai said that winning the election “was the easiest part.”
“Now, we must pay attention that this system will not return in this time period,” Pálmai said. “We must be critical of the new government, and must be patient. I want a government that doesn’t have these illusions. I hope to see a stronger relationship with the EU and NATO so that it’s not a question that we will leave the union.”
Beatrix Hermann is optimistic about a future system with “stronger” checks and balances and a “healthier, constructed” public dialogue.
“I sincerely hope that the new government will be able to live up to this mandate and move the country in a more lawful, transparent, and democratic direction,” Beatrix Hermann said.
Historically, this election is notable because Hungary’s government had remained unchanged for the past 16 years, so for Horváth, who has lived through two changes is particularly significant.
“Participating in a historical event is not something that happens often in a person’s life,” Horváth said. “In Hungary, my age group was able to experience the atmosphere of regime change for the second time. Now I was personally, physically present … which was a great celebration.”
