Hungary's Orban will not sit in parliament after election defeat

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reacts onstage after the announcement of the partial results of parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026. BERNADETT SZABO / REUTERS

Hungary's outgoing nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday, April 25, he would step back from parliament after his coalition suffered a crushing election defeat that ended his 16 years in power. Orban lost on April 12 to political newcomer, conservative pro-EU Péter Magyar, whose party won a two-thirds parliamentary majority in a vote marked by record turnout in the central European country.

The 62-year-old Orban, who has been a continuous presence in Hungary's parliament, the National Assembly, since 1990, has called for a "complete renewal" of his party last week.

"Since the seat I won as the lead candidate on the Fidesz-KDNP ticket is, in fact, a parliamentary seat for Fidesz, I have decided to give it back. Right now, I am not needed in Parliament, but in the reorganization of the national camp," Orban said in a Facebook video after a meeting by Fidesz party's executive committee. He said that he was ready to stay on as president of Fidesz if that's what the party decides during its congress in June.