Ladies and gentlemen, it’s over for Viktor Orban’s “illiberal democracy” in Hungary.
On Sunday, Orban’s Fidesz powerhouse was absolutely rolled by Tisza, the two-year-old party of the Hungarian strongman’s erstwhile ally-turned anti-corruption crusader Peter Magyar.
Tisza ran up nearly 70% of the parliamentary vote, putting the party on track for a supermajority and calling time on a dozen years of democratic backsliding. Frankly, that margin’s hard to fathom given Orban’s iron grip over the country’s media and bureaucracy.
If Magyar stays true to his campaign promises, Orban’s system — which served as the blueprint for “Project 2025” in America — will be bulldozed in favor of a return to European-style liberal democracy, albeit still under conservative government.
The landslide speaks to the scope of popular discontent with Orban who, until 2024, seemed untouchable. Although his downfall’s in no small part attributable to widespread disaffection with the flagrant nature of Fidesz’s all-encompassing corruption, Orban’s pivot to foreign policy at the expense of domestic kitchen table issues didn’t help.
It’s difficult to overstate the gravity of this result. Orban was the standard-bearer for right-wing populism in Europe and the originator of the tactics Trump used to consolidate power in 2025.
Hungary, like Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, was feared lost to democracy — a competitive authoritarian state that finally became a de facto autocracy. Magyar, Orban’s 45-year-old challenger, broke the spell.
Both The Kremlin and The White House will shudder at this result. Voters in Hungary have just rejected, emphatically, a man who counts both Vladimir Putin and Trump as close friends and allies.
JD Vance was in Budapest just days ago in a desperate bid to bolster Orban, who trailed Magyar by a margin that would’ve been insurmountable in a system where elections are assumed free and fair. Hungary was no longer considered to be such a system.
Voter turnout was enormous at nearly 80%. Although Orban’s aides set the stage to contest the results prior to Sunday’s vote, the margin was simply too large to deny.
Orban made a habit of playing spoiler in Brussels, where European nations often struggled to overcome his objections to key EU priorities, including financial and military assistance to Ukraine. That’s over now. Orban made Volodymyr Zelensky a villain of his campaign. That gambit backfired.
This result will send shockwaves through Europe, it’ll reverberate in Moscow and should send a chill through the ranks of Trump’s technocrats.
“Hungary has chosen Europe,” a pleased Ursula von der Leyen declared. “Europe has always chosen Hungary and together, we are stronger.”
Orban conceded defeat. “The election results, although not complete, are understandable and clear,” he said. “They are painful for us, but they are unequivocal.”
As I was checking the Guardian from time to time, I feared the counting would be suddenly suspended, or a denial, à la Trump or Bolsonaro, of the legitimacy of the count. I guess Orban still had a couple of democratic bones left in him.
As results from polling were being reported, I was surprised to see Orban was projected to lose. I was absolutely shocked to see him concede. Not exactly the dictator playbook, although neither is a legitimate electoral process.
JD is having quite a week. Complete, speedy failure in Pakistan, and dreadful results from his endorsement in Hungary.
This should really be the cherry on top of Trump’s narcissistic collapse.
That cherry might belong to the Pope.
Hey, maybe there is hope for us after all!
“widespread disaffection with the flagrant nature of Fidesz’s all-encompassing corruption”
You forgot to add “which at times matched that of the Biden Crime Family.” Sadly for US taxpayers, White House insiders are much more adept at keeping their operations out of the spotlight. Partly thanks to crypto-enabled payments. It was much more visible in Hungary (Football stadiums and private railroads etc).
So it’s not really likely that US voters will turn on the GOP (Team Trump) on this issue alone. Or at all.
Get back into your cave and stay there.
The Cavern Club in Liverpool? It was a miserable venue to perform at.
How psychologically broken does one have to be to live in a fairytale concocted by a grifter?
“Biden Crime Family”
I love that term.
The Biden Crime Family consists of one person exactly. Hunter Biden.
Joe Biden was never involved with any of Hunter’s activities.
The “Biden Crime Family” had a tremendous crime spree. During their reign of terror, Hunter falsified a firearms application, and he underpaid some taxes. Additionally, he might have made a few million in consulting fees, leveraging his dad’s name. Nothing illegal about it, but unethical. Hunter’s far ranging crime spree, brought in a few million dollars in total, about the same as what Eric Trump brings in through his crypto scam, in about five minutes.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
That’s Don’s, Don Jr’s, Eric’s, and Barron’s crypto scam.
One often sees speculation that the “Biden Crime Family” accusation was an example of DJT’s strategy of loudly and repeatedly accusing others of what he has been doing. Something learned from Roy Cohn. (When will Cohn be honored with a memorial in DC?)
Elmer- solid summation as well as sarcasm. Unfortunately, fascists are immune to facts, logic, knowledge, morals, proportional context, etc.
November Reign comes to an end. What a wasted decade of our lives.
Yes, and Drumphie sent his “Catholic” acolade from Ohio to do his bidding (I’ll do anything to get the 2028 GOP nomination Vance).
It was Vance’s fault.
“Lttle Marco, where are you? Out binging on Calle Ocho again?”
Will this become a “national security risk” for the US that warrants a special military operations…? Or at least an economic emergency that necessitates new tariffs?
“If Magyar stays true to his campaign promises, Orban’s system — which served as the blueprint for “Project 2025” in America — will be bulldozed in favor of a return to European-style liberal democracy, albeit still under conservative government.”
Hooray! Maybe this can serve as a blueprint (“Project 2029”) for Democrats.
To capture the spirit of another age, “The Winds Are A Changing.”
A good day in Europe without a doubt, a glimer of hope for the US?
Orban was defiant until the end.
Then the electorate said that they had enough, and threw him to the curb.
Trump will be defiant until the end.
The result will be the same.
H from the future.
“The landslide speaks to the scope of popular discontent with [Trump] who, until [2026], seemed untouchable. Although his downfall’s in no small part attributable to widespread disaffection with the flagrant nature of [Trump’s] all-encompassing corruption, [Trump’s] pivot to foreign policy at the expense of domestic kitchen table issues didn’t help.”
Ot sure what JD Vance was thinking. He would have helped more by not going to Hungary – he doesn’t have any fans in Europe.
It was not JD’s decision to go to Hungary. He got his job, like everyone else in the cabinet, for his willingness to do whatever the boss tells him to do.
This is an absolute humiliation of those American idiots that took CPAC on the road to Budapest to kiss Orban’s ring. And Little Marco, the biggest disappointment in a laughably incompetent Trump cabinet, did the same. Victor’s loss was the vindication of liberal democracy the world over. I’m breathing easier this morning.
Let’s also be clear, Orban didn’t concede because he believes in democracy. He conceded because he didn’t want to be executed by a mob. He would much rather enjoy his retirement living off the mountain of gold he stole from the people of Hungary, then risk the alternative.