Centre-right Peter Magyar's Tisza Party has won a landslide in Hungary after a night of counting in the Hungarian election. Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat after 16 years in power. "We have done it. Tisza and Hungary have won this election", Magyar said to cheering supporters in Budapest.
The majority of the votes counted last night (98%) show's Magyar's centre-right Tisza Party has won a landslide, resulting in more than 137 seats. Orbán's Fidesz Party has gone down from 135 to 55 seats, meaning Magyar has unseated the leader who is widely seen as a key block in European politics.
Orbán has been a key ally to Russia's President Putin and U.S. President Trump, with Trump's Vice President JD Vance making a quick stop last week to help drum up support for him.
Magyar, 45, is a former Fidesz party-insider and campaigned on a manifesto of moving closer to the European Union, NATO and removing the corruption which is believed to have happened under Orbán.
At a rally in central Budapest to thousands of supporters, Magyar said, "We will join the European Public Prosecutor's Office and guarantee the democratic functioning of our country. We will never again allow anyone to hold free Hungary captive or to abandon it".
"With the two-thirds majority allowing us to amend the constitution, we will restore the system of checks and balances", he added.
Many European leaders are hoping for an end to Hungary's adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to war-battered Ukraine that was blocked by Orbán.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy said "it is important when a constructive approach is victorious" via Telegram on Sunday, as he congratulated Magyar's decisive election win.
Defeat for Orbán could also mean the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary suspended over reforms that Brussels said undermined democratic standards, something closely watched by financial markets.
"Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the top EU executive, said after partial results were released.
Orbán's exit would also deprive Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in the EU and send shockwaves through the West's right-wing circles, including the White House.
Orbán had won public endorsements from the Trump administration, culminating in a visit to Budapest by Vice President JD Vance last week, as well as from the Kremlin and far-right leaders in Europe.
But his campaign was shaken by media reports alleging his government colluded with Moscow on diplomatic and political matters.
Orbán, who denied any wrongdoing, said his goal was to protect Hungary's national identity and traditional Christian values within the EU and its security in a dangerous world.
"It's incredibly exciting," said 24-year-old Dorina Nyul, who attended the Tisza election night event.
"It feels like this is our first and last chance in a really long time to actually change the system. And it's, I can't even describe the feeling."
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 23rd of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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