Hungary after Orbán: Who wins and who loses in the post-16-year shift

Viktor Orbán’s 16-year regularisation successful Hungary has travel to an extremity with him conceding decision successful the predetermination to his rival Peter Mayer, who secured 138 seats successful the 199-seat parliament, a bulk that volition springiness him wide powers to propulsion done large reforms.

Hours aft the result, Politico attempted to interruption down who is winning and who is losing aft Hungary’s historical result.

The winners

The archetypal winners, according to Politico, are EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa. “European Commission President Ursula and the European Council president tin present accidental goodbye to 1 of the EU’s astir unyielding leaders, who utilized his veto connected important Brussels decisions, including fiscal enactment for Ukraine,” Politico writes.

As the insubstantial points out, Orban has besides been 1 of Brussels’ astir vocal critics, reinforcing Euroscepticism, undermining the regularisation of instrumentality astatine location and repeatedly resisting EU legislation.

Politico says the Ukrainians person besides partially won, arsenic this twelvemonth unsocial Hungary’s outgoing premier curate vetoed a €90 cardinal indebtedness to Ukraine that was agreed to by European leaders successful December 2025 portion Kiev needs the backing to proceed to woody with the Russian invasion.

Volodymyr Zelenski congratulated Mayar stating that Ukraine seeks bully relations and is acceptable for cooperation, nevertheless the caller Hungarian premier curate has said helium opposes sending Hungarian weapons oregon wealth to Ukraine arsenic good arsenic the country’s accelerated accession to the EU.

Hungary’s young radical are the 3rd winners, arsenic earlier the predetermination 2/3 of Hungarians nether 30 wanted Orbán’s departure. It is besides indicative that the celebrations successful the streets of Budapest aft Magyar’s triumph were dominated by young people, arsenic galore of them said they would permission the state if Orbán was re-elected.

The winners included journalists, who nether Orban faced large difficulties, arsenic the outgoing Hungarian premier curate had taken power of 80 percent of the media.

Doctors are besides expected to benefit, arsenic Mayar promised to summation nationalist spending by 1 cardinal euros a twelvemonth successful the wellness sector.

The losers

Big losers according to Politico are Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. The US vice president visited Budapest to enactment Orbán, portion the US president had repeatedly supported him. However, Orban’s decision is simply a stroke to the White House, which is losing a cardinal state successful Europe.

Businessmen and deliberation tanks that had backed Orban’s Fidesz enactment besides joined the ranks of the losers arsenic they hazard losing backing and privileged entree to European funds.

Before the election, Mayar had said helium would make a mechanics to retrieve nationalist wealthiness and combat corruption.

Along with Trump, Vladimir Putin mislaid an important state wrong the EU arsenic well, arsenic dozens of reports successful the past play highlighted the adjacent Hungarian-Russian contacts, adjacent astatine the level of exchanging captious information.

Orban’s defeat, Politico writes, is simply a stroke to the European far-right and nationalist parties specified arsenic Marine Le Pen successful France and Vox successful Spain, portion Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni loses an state successful the Brussels negotiations.