The end of the Orban era began with a simple Facebook post on a blue background at 9:11 p.m. CET on Sunday. Opposition leader Peter Magyar wrote succinctly: “Prime Minister Viktor Orban just congratulated me on the phone on our victory.”
With about half the votes counted, the scale of the defeat for Orban’s Fidesz and the historic victory for Magyar’s Tisza party became clear. Tisza secured the largest two-thirds majority seen since the fall of the communist dictatorship in 1989/90, achieved amid a record turnout approaching 80%.
Ten minutes after Magyar’s post, Viktor Orban appeared before a few hundred supporters and briefly conceded defeat, saying Fidesz would “serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition” and that they would “never, never, never give up.”
Scenes of celebration followed across Budapest and other cities as predominantly young crowds poured into the streets. Tens of thousands marked the end of Orban’s rule, while independent media declared the “end of tyranny” and the “toppling of the Orban system.” Magyar delivered a 40-minute victory speech to thousands that combined emotional pledges with conciliatory language and no overt triumphalism. “From today, our country is alive again,” he said, promising to build “a functioning and humane country” and to earn the public’s trust.
Magyar vowed to realign Hungary with the EU and NATO, prompting chants of “Russians go home!” and “Europe! Europe!” He called on the president, the attorney general and senior judiciary and civil service figures to resign and pledged to restore checks and balances. He also reached out to Fidesz voters: “I will also be your prime minister and ensure that we will be able to accept each other, even if we do not hold the same opinions.”
Analysts hailed the result as the start of “a new era.” Election expert Robert Laszlo described the two-thirds majority as enabling the “demolition of the Orban regime.” Political scientists noted that Orban must confront the reasons for his defeat. The result is widely seen as a response to years of arrogance and centralization: Orban’s governments purged disloyal officials, brought much of the judiciary and media under influence, and built a system critics call profoundly corrupt while claiming to defend Hungary’s interests. Opposition and critics were often labeled traitors during his 16 years in power.
Several factors combined to make the upset possible. Many Hungarians wanted an end to the Orban system. Distorted electoral laws that previously favored Fidesz did not do so this time. A charismatic opposition leader emerged, and most other opposition parties withdrew, consolidating votes behind Tisza. Foreign influences also played a role: increasingly visible support for Orban from Moscow and sympathetic signals from some in Washington may have backfired, harming his appeal domestically. Observers noted Orban’s defeat as a blow to both Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, who had openly or quietly supported him.
What lies ahead is uncertain. Whether Orban’s loss signals a broader retreat of populist right-wing conservatism in Europe remains unclear. Some allies, like far-right writer Zsolt Bayer, warned that Hungary’s fall undermines hopes for a Europe of strong nation states. In contrast, many European governments quickly congratulated Magyar, hoping vetoes and blockades in the EU will end and normal relations can be restored.
It is impossible to predict how rapidly Hungary’s system can be changed or how successful reforms will be. Marton Gergely of weekly HVG urged caution, saying Magyar must prove he will rebuild democracy and not misuse his overwhelming parliamentary majority, even though the numbers give him the power to do so.
This article was originally published in German.