BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) 鈥 The day after Hungarians voted in the European Parliament elections, Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n's government declared a big win, but missing from the victory speeches was an acknowledgement that it was his party's worst performance in an EU election since Hungary joined the bloc 20 years ago.
The lackluster showing can largely be attributed to the emergence of a new political force in Hungary 鈥 , who broke with the party and declared his intention to build a popular movement to defeat Orb谩n and sweep away his autocratic system.
Eleven of Hungary鈥檚 21 delegates to the EU鈥檚 legislature will come from Fidesz 鈥 more than any of its domestic competitors. After tallying 44% of Sunday's vote, the government said the result clearly signals overwhelming support for Orb谩n's hard-right nationalism.
鈥淣ever before have so many people, 2.015 million, voted for Fidesz-KDNP in an EP election,鈥 spokesman Zolt谩n Kov谩cs wrote Monday on the social media platform X. 鈥淭he message is clear: Hungarians say no to war, migration, and gender ideology.鈥
Nonetheless, in a European Union election since it joined in 2004. Votes for the party were down sharply from its 52% support in the 2019 polls, and it lost two of its European Parliament seats.
Andr谩s B铆r贸-Nagy, an analyst and director of the Budapest-based think tank Policy Solutions, said the power of Orb谩n 鈥 who returned to office in 2010 鈥 has never been more at risk.
鈥淲e are in an unknown territory because previously it was not imaginable that a single political party could mount a serious challenge to Viktor Orb谩n,鈥 B铆r贸-Nagy said.
Magyar's new party, Respect and Freedom (TISZA), won nearly 30% of the vote on Sunday, earning seven delegates in the EU legislature. He has said the election would propel his movement into a stronger position to challenge and defeat Orb谩n in the next national ballot, scheduled for 2026.
Late Sunday, thousands of Magyar's supporters gathered next to the Danube River to await the election results. Addressing the jubilant crowd, Magyar said his party's performance was a 鈥減olitical landslide" that would usher in a new era of 鈥渦seful, fair and, especially, honest鈥 governance.
"Today marks the end of an era," Magyar said. 鈥淭his is the Waterloo of Orb谩n鈥檚 factory of power, the beginning of the end,鈥 he said, referring to the battle that ended the Napoleonic Wars.
Magyar campaigned less on a specific party program than a structural critique of Orb谩n's system, which he characterized as rife with , nepotism, intimidation and .
He derided the condition of Hungary's and systems, accused Fidesz of creating a enriched with lucrative public contracts, and vowed to form a more constructive relationship with the EU.
Hungary's traditional opposition parties, through pressure from Orb谩n's government and their own fractiousness and infighting, have been to Fidesz in the past 14 years.
鈥淭he P茅ter Magyar phenomenon is the symptom of a deep crisis in Hungarian politics," said B铆r贸-Nagy. 鈥淭his reflects not only some disillusionment with the Orb谩n regime, but it shows the complete disillusionment with the established opposition.鈥
"Many people in Hungary are craving for something new, are craving for change, and they are willing to support basically anybody who shows potentially some strength against the Orb谩n regime,鈥 he said.
Magyar's rise followed a series of scandals that rocked Orb谩n's government and prompted the and justice minister. A deep economic crisis, compounded by the , also led to a drop in popularity for the bloc's longest-serving leader.
Meanwhile, the EU has ($21.5 billion) to Hungary over its violations of rule-of-law and democracy standards, and Orb谩n's with Russian President Vladimir Putin have pushed him further into the margins from his EU and NATO allies.
Ahead of the elections, the five-time prime minister campaigned on an anti-EU platform, and cast the ballot as a contest that would decide whether Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine would engulf Europe.
He relied heavily on culturally divisive issues such as migration, LGBTQ+ rights and fears that the war could escalate to involve Hungary directly if his political opponents were successful.
But Fidesz's weakened position suggests Orb谩n鈥檚 hopes that the EU election would consolidate euroskeptic parties and deliver him a bigger role on Europe鈥檚 far-right have likely been dashed.
"Orb谩n has already taken the place of the radical right in Hungarian politics,鈥 B铆r贸-Nagy said. 鈥淏ut the breakthrough that Viktor Orb谩n was hoping for didn鈥檛 materialize at the European level.鈥
