Orbán wins big in Hungarian election

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán secured his fourth consecutive term with a landslide victory in Hungary’s national elections on Sunday. 

Orbán’s Fidesz party secured 53% while the United for Hungary six-party opposition alliance received only 35%. The margin of victory was beyond predictions, as the opposition alliance had generally been neck-and-neck with Fidesz in the polls since forming in December 2020.  

The far-right Mi Hazánk party, which is seen as the closest party to Fidesz of all the opposition parties, unexpectedly passed the 5% parliamentary threshold, having secured 6.1% of the vote.

In a combative winning speech on Sunday night, Orbán said “This victory will be remembered for the rest of our lives because so many people ganged up on us, including the left at home, the international left everywhere, the bureaucrats in Brussels, all the funds and organisations of the ruling empire, the foreign media, and in the end even the Ukrainian president.”

In the new Parliament, set for formation in early May, Fidesz will have 135 of the 199 MPs, to 56 combined for the United for Hungary parties(social democrat Democratic Coalition 16, centrist Momentum 11, Socialist MSZP 9, centre right Jobbik parties also 9 nine, Dialogue 7 seven and green LMP party 4. The far-right Mi Hazánk, formed by ex-members of Jobbik in 2018, will have 7 MPs. The German minority authority will have 1 MP. 

United for Hungary’s prime ministerial candidate Péter Márki-Zay lost in his own constituency to the former Prime Ministers Office Chancellor Janos Lázár, by 52-40%.