Elections in Hungary

Tisza supporters celebrate after victory: “It’s over!”

After the landslide victory of the Hungarian opposition party Tisza, supporters are celebrating in the streets and at the election vigils.

– It’s over, it’s over, I can’t believe it! screams a woman on Kossuth Square in Budapest to Telex.

Several media outlets report a festive atmosphere in the squares of the capital. Even before the election vigil began, there was a “picnic atmosphere” in Batthyany Square, where you could watch the election broadcast on a big screen and buy hot dogs and other street food, reports the independent HGV.

“Budapest will not go to bed early tonight,” writes The Guardian. 

Hungarian opposition leader: Orbán admits defeat – congratulated me

The sitting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has congratulated opposition leader Péter Magyar on his election victory, writes Magyar on Facebook.

“Prime Minister Viktor Orbán congratulated us on our victory over the phone,” he writes.

With 77 percent of the votes counted, Magyar’s party Tisza has 138 seats and Orbán’s party Fidesz has 54.

If the result stands, it would mean a supermajority for Tisza. It requires 133 seats in parliament, or two-thirds, and provides room for far-reaching reforms. 

Orbán admits defeat after 16 years in power in Hungary: “Painful”

The sitting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has admitted defeat in the Hungarian election, he says, according to several media outlets.

– The election result, although not final, is clear. For us, it is painful but unequivocal, he says, and continues:

– We have not been given the confidence to govern. I have congratulated the winning party.

He adds that Fidesz will now “serve the country in opposition.”

Orbán must now relinquish power after 16 years as prime minister, a position he also held between 1998 and 2002.