Hungary's veteran leader Viktor Orban conceded defeat on Sunday after a landslide election victory by the opposition Tisza party, with the result welcomed by European leaders.
In a setback for his allies Russia and US President Donald Trump, who sent his Vice President JD Vance to show support for Mr Orban in the final days of the campaign, the nationalist's 16-year rule was brought to an end by the pro-EU party of Peter Magyar.
Mr Magyar's victory has handed his centre-right party a sweeping mandate in Hungary's 199-seat legislature that will enable it to enact reforms, bolster the rule of law and potentially unlock billions in EU funding. He said the victory would allow him to dismantle Mr Orban’s increasingly authoritarian system and bring Hungary back into the European fold.
Budapest's famous Chain Bridge was illuminated in Hungary‘s national colours, as tens of thousands partied along the embankment by the Danube River, waving the flags of their country and the EU.
Mr Magyar, a former insider of Mr Orban's Fidesz party, is to become Hungary’s next prime minister. He addressed jubilant supporters, who chanted "Europe, Europe", after Mr Orban conceded defeat. Mr Magyar also pledged to make Hungary a strong EU and Nato ally and rebuild ties marred by years of disputes.
"With the two-thirds majority allowing us to amend the constitution, we will restore the system of checks and balances," Mr 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."
He called on senior officials including Hungary's chief prosecutor, the head of the top court and the head of media authority to resign and said the country's public institutions had been captured by Orban loyalists over the past 16 years. “Those who betrayed the country must take responsibility,” he said, before promising to “liberate Hungary and take back our country".
With nearly all ballots counted, Tisza was set to win 138 seats, more than the two-thirds majority Mr Magyar needed to undo Mr Orban's constitutional overhaul and tackle corruption. Mr Orban, who had been the longest-serving prime minister in the EU, conceded defeat long before the final results were announced.
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Mr Orban said at the Fidesz campaign offices. "The election result is painful for us, but clear."
Mr Magyar's success was welcomed by European leaders, who disagreed with Mr Orban over his support for Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe’s heart was "beating stronger" in the country.
"Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary," she added. "A country reclaims its European path. The union grows stronger. Together we are stronger."
French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken with Mr Magyar to congratulate him on his victory. "France welcomes what has been a victory in terms of people taking part in the democratic process and a victory that shows the attachment of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union and for Hungary's role in Europe," he said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated "dear Peter Magyar", saying: "The Hungarian people have decided. My heartfelt congratulations on your electoral success. Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe."
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the election result a "historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to work with him to strengthen Europe and uphold peace and security.
"It is important when a constructive approach is victorious," Mr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram.
"We are ready to meet and for joint constructive work for the benefit of both our peoples and also for the sake of peace, security and stability in Europe."
Hungary's forint currency surged to a more than four-year high against the euro after the vote. A majority for Tisza was regarded as the most market-friendly scenario heading into Sunday's poll. Early on Monday, the forint was trading 2.5 per cent higher compared with Friday's domestic close, at 366.15 to the euro, its strongest showing since February 2022.
"The scale and clarity of the result will be cheered by investors," Capital Economics said in an election night note.
Polls predicted a record voter turnout, with Hungarian TV broadcasting footage of long queues outside some voting stations in Budapest. Data published half an hour before polls were due to close showed 77.8 per cent of voters had cast ballots, up from 67.8 per cent four years earlier.
The results would have significant implications not only for Hungary, but for the EU, Ukraine and beyond. It probably spells the end for Hungary's adversarial role in the bloc, possibly opening the way for a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine blocked by Mr Orban.
It could also mean the eventual release of EU funds to Hungary that the bloc suspended owing to what Brussels called Mr Orban's erosion of democratic standards.
His exit also deprived Russian President Vladimir Putin of his main ally in the EU and sent shockwaves through right-wing politics in the West, including the US.
Economic stagnation
Mr Orban carved out a model of an "illiberal democracy" viewed as a blueprint by Mr Trump's Make America Great Again movement and admirers in Europe. But many Hungarians had grown increasingly weary of Mr Orban, after three years of economic stagnation and soaring living costs, as well as reports of oligarchs close to the government amassing more wealth.
Mr Magyar appears to have successfully seized on such frustration. He had galvanised the country over the past two years with his message of change. He also tapped into growing anger over cronyism, stagnant economy and deteriorating public services.
Much of his momentum now rides on fulfilling that promise. Mr Orban sought to cast the election as a choice between "war and peace", warning that Mr Magyar would drag Hungary into Russia's war with Ukraine, something he strongly denied.
