Hungary: Péter Magyar’s Tisza party ends Orbán’s sixteen-year rule

The Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, won Hungary’s 12 April 2026 legislative election with about 53.6% of the vote, against 37.8% for Fidesz, according to the electoral commission. The result gives Tisza a two-thirds majority in the 199-seat parliament. Turnout, around 79.5%, was the highest on record. Viktor Orbán conceded defeat that same night.

During Orbán’s governments, much of the private media passed into the hands of allied business figures or was absorbed into the KESMA foundation, and public broadcasters were accused of acting as a government mouthpiece. Hungary consistently ranked among the worst-placed EU countries in press-freedom indexes.

Press organizations called on the new government to guarantee the independence of public media and transparency in state advertising, in line with the European Media Freedom Act, without simply replacing one system of control with another.

Sources: National Election Office of Hungary; Telex; RFE/RL.