Elections

Elections in Hungary, Magyar: 'Orban congratulated on victory'. Tisza over two-thirds of seats

"Based on the information we have, we are optimistic, but with caution," said Magyar

12 April 2026

Ungheria elezioni politiche nella foto : Peter Magyar foto IPP/zumapress budapest 16878

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Orban votes: 'I am here to win, the people's choice must be respected'
Orban: 'I would only resign from Fidesz after a heavy defeat'
In Hungary's mixed electoral system, votes in campaigns weigh more

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

With 95% of the votes counted, opposition leader Peter Magyar's Tisza party is on its way to winning two-thirds of the seats in the Hungarian parliament. Indeed, the projections give Tisza 138 seats while Fidesz stops at 54 and the far-right party Mi Hazank at 7.

"Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has just congratulated us on the phone on our victory". This was written in a Facebook post by Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar.Sunday's was an unprecedented mobilisation of Hungarian voters. According to official data, 78% of the eligible voters had voted by 6.30 p.m., already surpassing the overall turnout of 2022, which stood at 69.5% at the end of the day. The figure goes beyond even the historical precedent of 1990, when in the first free and multi-party elections after the fall of the Berlin Wall, 65.1% of Hungarians went to the polls. With polling stations open until 7 p.m., the final result is set to set a historical record.

Polls close at 7pm. Turnout is particularly high in medium-sized cities and among young voters, who are more favourable to pro-European opponent Peter Magyar, according to analysts. The vote could end the 16-year rule of Viktor Orban and pave the way for the opposition led by Peter Magyar.

Last night the final rallies: the premier in the heart of Budapest, the challenger instead in Debrecen, Fidesz's historic stronghold once again becoming contestable.

"Every vote counts, let us dismantle the regime and make history together," urges the Tisza leader, leading in all polls, in an attempt to win over the undecided. Magyar is aiming for the two-thirds majority needed for the rule of law reforms necessary to release EU funds.

The 7.5 million registered voters in the country, together with the over 500,000 r registered voters abroad, can choose between five parties in a mixed majority electoral system that clearly favours Fidesz. Polling stations opened at 6am (4am GMT) and will close at 7pm.

Independent polling institutes are predicting a landslide victory for the Tisza party of pro-European conservative Peter Magyar, which in two years has managed to build an opposition movement capable of challenging Hungary's nationalist prime minister, whose popularity has declined in tandem with the country's economic growth.

Ungheria: al voto oltre 8 milioni di elettori
Photogallery27 foto

In Hungary's mixed electoral system, votes in campaigns weigh more

The vote in Hungary is played out on a mixed electoral system: of the 199 seats in parliament, 106 are allocated in single-member constituencies, while the remainder are distributed by proportional method and compensation mechanisms. The crux is in the weighting of votes. In the less populous, often rural and Viktor Orban-friendly constituencies, even 50-60 thousand voters are enough to elect an MP. In urban areas, where the opposition is stronger, it can take up to 90-100 thousand votes to get the same seat. A system redesigned after 2010 tends to amplify the advantage of the ruling party. According to various analyses, this mechanism can be worth up to five percentage points, enough - in a tight race - to lose in the popular vote but still win a majority of seats. This is why the opposition led by Peter Magyar insists on a broad victory: to really change the balance, two-thirds of the parliament, i.e. at least 133 seats out of 199, are needed. In the 2022 elections, Viktor Orban won 135 seats.