BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian voters on Sunday ousted long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orban after 16 years in power, rejecting the authoritarian policies and global far-right movement that he embodied in favor of a pro-European challenger in a bombshell election result with global repercussions.
It was a stunning blow for Orban — a close ally of both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — who quickly conceded defeat after what he called a ″painful″ election result. US Vice President JD Vance had made a visit to Hungary just days earlier, meant to help push Orban over the finish line.
Election victor Peter Magyar, a former Orban loyalist who campaigned against corruption and on everyday issues like health care and public transport, has pledged to rebuild Hungary’s relationships with the EU and NATO — ties that frayed under Orban. European leaders quickly congratulated Magyar.
His victory was expected to transform political dynamics within the EU, where Orban had upended the bloc by frequently vetoing key decisions, prompting concerns he sought to break it up from the inside.
It will also reverberate among far-right movements around the world, which have viewed Orban as a beacon for how nationalist populism can be used to wage culture wars and leverage state power to undermine opponents.