Magyar says Orban has conceded defeat in Hungary election
Partial results on Sunday show the opposition party ending Viktor Orban's 16-year stretch as Hungary's prime minister.
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BUDAPEST: Hungary's opposition Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, says Prime Minister Viktor Orban has conceded defeat in Hungarian parliamentary elections.
His party is projected to win 135 mandates in the 199-seat parliament, a two-thirds majority, based on partial results on Sunday (Apr 12).
"Prime Minister Viktor Orban just called to congratulate us on our victory," Magyar posted on social media, as Magyar's Tisza party stood at 52.49 per cent and Fidesz 38.83 per cent with 53.45 per cent of precincts counted.
The challenger ends Viktor Orban's 16-year stretch as Hungary's prime minister.
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The vote on Sunday was closely watched across Europe and in the United States.
Orban, a nationalist and self-described "thorn" in the EU's side, and a defender of "illiberal democracy", is close to both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump threw his weight behind Orban, the European Union's current longest-serving leader, and dispatched US Vice President JD Vance to stand alongside Orban days before the vote - though the US ambassador to the EU denied any US "meddling".
"FULL OF HOPE"
"I'm really excited. I came to this event full of hope... I'm optimistic about the change," Orsolya Rozgonyi, a 28-year-old HR manager, told AFP amid Tisza supporters who gathered in Budapest in a festive atmosphere.
The atmosphere was more subdued among hundreds of Fidesz supporters who gathered near the press centre, cordoned off from the press.
Orban, 62, who was seeking a fifth straight term, has transformed his country into a model of "illiberal democracy", publicly clashing with Brussels over rule-of-law issues, and over support for war-torn Ukraine.
MAGYAR AMASSED SUPPORT IN 2 YEARS
Magyar burst onto the scene just two years ago, promising to fight corruption and offering better public services, amassing support against a backdrop of economic stagnation, despite an electoral system skewed in favour of Orban's Fidesz party.
Both camps have alleged foreign interference during the campaign in the central European country of 9.5 million people.
During his visit, Vance attacked the alleged interference in Hungary of Brussels "bureaucrats", while Trump has promised to bring US "economic might" to Hungary if Orban's party secures victory.
"MAJOR CRISIS"
After casting his ballot, Orban repeated warnings of a "major crisis" awaiting Europe.
"Fortunately, we have a lot of friends in the world. From America to China to Russia and the Turkish world," he said.
Orban focused on making Ukraine the central topic of his campaign, portraying the neighbouring country, which is fighting off a Russian invasion, as "hostile" to Hungary.
He also vowed to continue his crackdown against "fake civil society organisations, bought journalists, judges (and) politicians".
Maria Toth, a 31-year-old stay-at-home mother of two, told AFP at a Budapest polling station that "it is so important for us that Viktor Orban stays in power".
"I feel Hungary is under siege from so many directions and big powers like Brussels are trying to dictate how we live," she added.
But before the results were in, Andrea Szabo, a senior research fellow at ELTE University's Centre for Social Sciences, said, "If Fidesz wins now, that will clearly mean... a shift towards authoritarianism."
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