BUDAPEST, Hungary — Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he will not take his seat in Hungary’s new parliament after a landslide election defeat ended his 16-year rule, choosing instead to focus on rebuilding his nationalist-populist political movement.
Orbán made the announcement Saturday in a video posted to social media, saying he would step back from parliamentary work and devote himself to reorganizing what he called Hungary’s “national side,” according to The Associated Press. His party, Fidesz, suffered a major loss in Hungary’s April 12 election, falling from 135 seats to 52 in the 199-seat parliament. The center-right Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, won 141 seats, giving it a historic majority.
The decision marks the first time since Hungary’s post-communist transition in 1990 that Orbán will not serve as a member of parliament. Though he is leaving the legislature, Orbán signaled that he may remain active in party leadership. Reuters reported that he has offered to resign as Fidesz party chief, with a final decision expected at the party’s June 13 congress.
Magyar, a former Orbán ally turned rival, campaigned on fighting corruption, restoring democratic institutions, and repairing Hungary’s strained relationships with the European Union and NATO. He is expected to take office in May.
Orbán’s defeat is a major political shift for Hungary and for Europe’s nationalist right. His government was often criticized by EU officials and democracy watchdogs for weakening judicial independence, consolidating media influence, and centralizing power. Supporters, meanwhile, praised him for defending Hungarian sovereignty, family policy, border control, and conservative cultural values.
For Hungary, the immediate question is how much of Orbán’s political system can be dismantled by the incoming government. For Orbán, the question is whether he can rebuild Fidesz outside parliament after the most significant defeat of his political career.
