Hungary Turns the Page After 16 Years of Viktor Orbán

The prime minister lost to a similarly conservative challenger amid concerns about authoritarianism and economic stagnation. The youth vote was decisive.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán prepares to cast his ballot at a polling station in Budapest, Hungary, on April 12, 2026. Petr David Josek/AP Photo

BUDAPEST, Hungary—After 16 years of uninterrupted rule, Viktor Orbán conceded defeat to Péter Magyar following Hungary’s parliamentary election on April 12, in what may be the most consequential political shift in Central Europe since the collapse of communism.

Magyar’s Tisza party secured 138 seats with more than 98 percent of votes counted, enough for a two-thirds supermajority, while Orbán’s Fidesz was expected to hold just 55 seats. Turnout reached 77 percent, the highest recorded in Hungary since 1989.