Viktor Orbán accepts election loss in Hungary
Viktor Orbán (photo: Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has acknowledged that, after 16 years in power, he and his party have suffered defeat in today's parliamentary election.
According to Orbán, the election results, although still not final, are already clear. He congratulated the opposition Tisza party and its leader Péter Magyar on their victory.
"The election result is painful for us, but it is unambiguous… I have congratulated the winning party," Orbán said.
As of 10:45 PM, Hungary's National Election Committee had counted 66.69% of the votes. The opposition Tisza party has pulled ahead and is preliminarily securing a constitutional majority — 137 of the 199 parliamentary seats.
Meanwhile, Orbán's party currently holds 27.64% of the vote, equivalent to 55 seats.
Hungary election results as of 10:33 PM April 12 (photo: Hungary's National Election Office)
US-Russia support failed to secure Orbán's victory
The media reported ahead of the Hungarian elections that Russia had launched a large-scale disinformation campaign in the country. The goal was to support Orbán and discredit the opposition.
Russian media also reported that the Kremlin had considered the possibility that Orbán could lose the election. According to those reports, Moscow had prepared a narrative in advance to blame Hungary's leadership team for the defeat.
Russia was not the only actor attempting to support Orbán. Just days earlier, US Vice President JD Vance visited the country on an official trip. At one of the rallies, he called US President Donald Trump, who publicly declared his "love" for Orbán.
In addition, a few days ago, Trump promised Hungary economic prosperity if Viktor Orbán remains in power.
