The 16-year reign of Viktor Orbán in Budapest has come to an end after he acknowledged defeat in the Hungarian elections against his rival Péter Magyar.
„Hungarians said yes to Europe today, they said yes to a free Hungary,” Magyar declared in front of an enthusiastic crowd gathered on the banks of the Danube, urging Orbán’s supporters in state institutions to resign at the same time.
– Elections in Hungary: Viktor Orbán’s crushing defeat. Tisza, Péter Magyar’s party, supermajority in Parliament. Historic voter turnout.
– Péter Magyar, victory speech: „We have replaced the Orbán regime. We have taken our country back” (Video)
Orbán accepted defeat in a speech, stating that his party, Fidesz, will „serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition.” Fidesz is set to secure 55 seats.
The implications of Sunday’s vote extend far beyond Hungary’s borders. Politico presents all the other winners and losers of this year’s most important elections in Europe.
### Winners
– **EU Presidents, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa**
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa bid farewell to one of the EU’s most stubborn leaders, who exercised his veto right over decisions made by Brussels, including financial support for Ukraine.
Orbán was also one of the most vocal opponents of Brussels, fueling Euroscepticism, while simultaneously undermining the rule of law domestically and repeatedly opposing EU legislation, posing a direct challenge to the Commission’s ability to enforce its rules.
– Trump and Putin failed to save Viktor Orbán from the anger of Hungarians fed up with corruption.
„Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country claims its European path. The Union becomes stronger,” von der Leyen declared moments after Orbán acknowledged defeat.
– **Ukrainians (with a caveat)**
This year, Orbán rejected a €90 billion loan granted to Ukraine, agreed upon by leaders – including himself – in December 2025.
Hungary withdrew its approval after Russian oil imports stopped flowing through the Druzhba pipelines crossing Ukraine, a move Orbán described as a deliberate maneuver by Kiev to influence elections by weakening the Hungarian economy.
– Slovakia and Hungary accuse Kiev of blocking oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline. Fico: It’s political blackmail.
Ukraine needs funding to continue defending itself against Russia’s large-scale invasion before summer, when its treasury will run out of cash.
President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Magyar on Sunday evening. „Ukraine has always sought good neighborly relations with everyone in Europe, and we are ready to advance our cooperation with Hungary,” he said, adding that Kiev is prepared for „meetings and constructive work together for the benefit of both nations.”
Magyar aims to have good relations with Brussels and will likely unblock the loan. However, it is a bittersweet victory for Zelensky, as the new prime minister has stated opposition to sending Hungarian arms or money to Kiev and opposes accelerating Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
Magyar has promised to put this issue to a referendum, which would essentially block the process, given the strong anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Hungarian society that he must address to maintain support.
– **Young Hungarians**
Pre-election polls suggested that up to two-thirds of Hungarians under 30 wanted Orbán to leave.
Massive protests in Budapest in the lead-up to the elections drew hundreds of thousands of young Hungarians, many of whom said they would leave the country if Orbán won again, in testimonies given to the international press.
Magyar thanked young Hungarians in his victory speech, while crowds of young people flooded the streets of Budapest celebrating the result. „Thank you for bringing back hope, hope for change,” he said.
– **Journalists and Doctors**
Independent journalists faced a tough battle in Hungary, as Orbán took control of 80% of the country’s media. Despite this, independent reporters became a decisive factor in the final outcome. They uncovered how Orbán’s government worked to undermine the opposition through the country’s secret services and obtained details about phone calls between Budapest and the Kremlin, discussing sensitive EU issues.
Doctors will also be winners, as Hungary promised to increase public investments by €1 billion per year. This promise comes after a decade of insufficient spending in the healthcare sector, leaving long waiting lists, dilapidated hospitals, lack of equipment, and ultimately causing a brain drain, said Péter Almos, president of the Hungarian Medical Chamber, to Politico.
Orbán’s government has previously launched public campaigns blaming doctors for the shortcomings of the system.
### Losers
– **Donald Trump and JD Vance**
American Vice President JD Vance visited Orbán in Budapest on April 7 to support his candidacy, boasting that he would win and accusing the EU of meddling in the vote. US President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Orbán five times in the last six months and promised that Washington would provide economic support to Hungary.
„We have to get Orbán re-elected as Prime Minister of Hungary, right?” Vance told Fidesz supporters, to enthusiastic applause, during a football stadium rally. But the words of support were in vain, dealing a blow to the White House, which has now lost a key ally in Europe as transatlantic relations deteriorate.
– **Businesspeople and Fidesz-linked Expert Groups**
The network of conservative think tanks funded by Orbán’s government is set to lose its operating funds. Among them is the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, the think tank led by Orbán’s political director and which lobbies EU institutions in Brussels.
Hungarian businesspeople close to Fidesz, who dominate the country’s private sector – including Orbán’s childhood friend, Lőrinc Mészáros, and his son-in-law, István Tiborcz – risk losing their privileged access to EU funds and public contracts.
In his victory speech, Magyar declared that he would establish an „Office for the Restoration of National Wealth,” where lawyers and police will investigate to recover state assets and put those involved in corruption behind bars. „We will never be a country without consequences again,” he said.
– **Kremlin**
Russian President Vladimir Putin has just lost a valuable ally – and a key source of privileged information – in the heart of the EU.
In recent months, Hungarian and international media have revealed close ties between Budapest and Moscow, including phone calls between Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
According to these reports, the two discussed the EU’s internal deliberations on sanctions against Russia, with Szijjártó promising to share confidential European documents through the Hungarian embassy.
– **Europe’s Far Right Wing**
Orbán, who frequently promised to „occupy” Brussels and change institutions from within, is a key figure in the far-right party Patriots for Europe, which brings together EU nationalist parties such as France’s National Assembly, led by Marine Le Pen, and Spain’s Vox, led by Santiago Abascal.
Orbán’s defeat is also a loss for other far-right figures in Europe, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who loses an ally at the Brussels negotiating table.