Orban has lost and will no longer lead Hungary. This is huge as Orban and his Fidesz party represented the most anti-democratic forces in the EU, and a major force driving politics around the world to the right. The Fidesz movement endangered the EU project, and provided the model for Trump's second term in power and project 2025.
What's most surprising to me is how Orban was defeated. The Hungarian opposition tried everything from going to the left, the right, center, coalitions, protest movements, civil resistance, and tons of other things. And it didn't work. Orban consolidated control over the media, shutdown any opposition organization or educational institutions, used the tax code to strip organizations of their funding and legal status, blacklisted opposition leaders.
And yet Orban would win super majorities over and over again. What's finally worked was a scandal of corruption from within Fidesz and their governing coalition which exposed the contradictions of Orban's strongman anticorruption message with the reality of how authoritarians keep power.
Authoritarians have a carrot and stick model of power, if you comply you get benefits, sometimes those happen illegally, construction contracts, get out of jail despite your crimes, etc... or a stick, where they attack the opposition the way progressive politicians where attacked and NGO's were shutdown.
With all of the opposition destroyed in Hungary what happened was the corruption got worse and eventually became a scandal that was too big to contain. Loyal members of Fidesz split and created their own party, because that's the only political force left in the country. And people voted for the new faction, not because they wanted radical change, but because they got fed up with Orban's lies. Will the new leadership of Hungary, Péter Magyar’s Tisza, be any better? Honestly i have no idea. But the downfall of one wanna be dictator is a good thing.
To Orban's credit, he's admitting he lost and not trying to pull a January 6th! Perhaps because his replacement come from a group of ex-loyalists, and his right wing project may continue. I'm not sure.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/12/hungary-election-latest-results-viktor-orban-peter-magyar-fidesz-tisza-russia-europe-live-news-updates
What's most surprising to me is how Orban was defeated. The Hungarian opposition tried everything from going to the left, the right, center, coalitions, protest movements, civil resistance, and tons of other things. And it didn't work. Orban consolidated control over the media, shutdown any opposition organization or educational institutions, used the tax code to strip organizations of their funding and legal status, blacklisted opposition leaders.
And yet Orban would win super majorities over and over again. What's finally worked was a scandal of corruption from within Fidesz and their governing coalition which exposed the contradictions of Orban's strongman anticorruption message with the reality of how authoritarians keep power.
Authoritarians have a carrot and stick model of power, if you comply you get benefits, sometimes those happen illegally, construction contracts, get out of jail despite your crimes, etc... or a stick, where they attack the opposition the way progressive politicians where attacked and NGO's were shutdown.
With all of the opposition destroyed in Hungary what happened was the corruption got worse and eventually became a scandal that was too big to contain. Loyal members of Fidesz split and created their own party, because that's the only political force left in the country. And people voted for the new faction, not because they wanted radical change, but because they got fed up with Orban's lies. Will the new leadership of Hungary, Péter Magyar’s Tisza, be any better? Honestly i have no idea. But the downfall of one wanna be dictator is a good thing.
To Orban's credit, he's admitting he lost and not trying to pull a January 6th! Perhaps because his replacement come from a group of ex-loyalists, and his right wing project may continue. I'm not sure.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/apr/12/hungary-election-latest-results-viktor-orban-peter-magyar-fidesz-tisza-russia-europe-live-news-updates
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