Magyar demands radical purge after Orbán's crushing defeat in Hungary

Monday 13 April 2026 - 14:40

By: Dakir Madiha

Magyar demands radical purge after Orbán's crushing defeat in Hungary

Peter Magyar's center-right Tisza party ended Viktor Orbán's 16-year grip on power Sunday with a supermajority win in Hungary's parliamentary elections. Tisza secured 138 of 199 seats, surpassing the 133 needed to amend the constitution, while Fidesz dropped to 55 seats. Turnout hit a record 77.8 percent as more than 98 percent of votes were counted.

Orbán conceded defeat in a short Budapest speech, calling the outcome painful and congratulating the opposition.

In a victory address to thousands along the Danube, Magyar declared the Hungarian regime dismantled. He urged President Tamas Sulyok to task Tisza with forming a government and then resign, alongside the chief justice, attorney general, and heads of media and competition regulators, all Orbán appointees. Magyar vowed to restore institutional independence, join the European Public Prosecutor's Office, and visit Warsaw, Vienna, and Brussels first to rebuild European Union and NATO ties.

Hungarian markets surged Monday on expectations of unfreezing billions in European Union funds withheld over rule-of-law issues under Orbán. The forint rose 2.1 percent against the euro to its highest since 2022, and the BUX index climbed 3.3 percent despite global pressures. Analysts anticipate Magyar's pro-EU stance will restart funding and low-interest loans.

The result marks a blow to Europe's populist right, with Orbán as a close Donald Trump ally and global nationalist figure. Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer and former Fidesz insider who broke away two years ago, built Tisza into the force toppling a leader once seen as invincible. European leaders congratulated him, and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky pledged cooperation with the new government.