Viktor Orban re-elected as Fidesz leader after historic Hungary election defeat
Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been re-elected as leader of the opposition Fidesz party, despite suffering a historic defeat in April’s parliamentary election.
Speaking at the party’s 32nd congress in Budapest, Orban pledged to remain active in Hungarian politics and lead the party through a period of renewal.
“I never back down," Orban told supporters. “I have a good biography, and you can be sure that I will not ruin it at the end.”
According to party officials, 729 of 737 delegates voted in favour of Orban’s re-election, giving him a one-year mandate as party leader.
During his speech, Orban also criticised the migration policies of Hungary’s new government led by the Tisza Party.
“The liberals who have come to power will open the gates, foreigners will come, and they will fleece Hungary,” he warned.
Orban’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance lost power in April after Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party won a parliamentary majority with more than 53% of the vote. Fidesz-KDNP secured just over 38%, ending Orban’s 16-year period in government.
The election campaign was marked by competing allegations of foreign interference. Orban’s government accused the European Union and Ukraine of attempting to influence the vote, claims rejected by Kyiv and opposition figures.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
