Extract from ABC News
Hungary saw a record turnout for the election.
In short:
Centre-right Tisza Party leader Peter Magyar is on course to become Hungary's new prime minister with a two-thirds majority.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat, ending 16 years in power for a figure in the far-right movement allied with US President Donald Trump.
What's next?
Mr Magyar's victory could spell an end to Hungary's adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a 90 billion euro ($150 billion) loan to war-battered Ukraine.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — a powerful far-right figure allied with US President Donald Trump — has conceded defeat in the country's election.
After 16 years in power, Mr Orbán said he would serve the country from opposition, with centre-right candidate Peter Magyar's Tisza Party on course for a parliamentary super majority.
Results based on 46 per cent of votes counted showed the centre-right, pro-EU Tisza Party of Peter Magyar winning 135 seats — or a crucial two-thirds majority — in the 199-member parliament, ahead of Mr Orbán's Fidesz Party.
Viktor Orbán was Hungary's prime minister for 16 years. (AP: Petr David Josek)
"The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear," Mr Orbán said at the Fidesz campaign offices.
"The election result is painful for us, but clear.
"The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us. I have congratulated the winner."
An end to Mr Orbán's government holds significant implications not only for Hungary, but for the European Union, Ukraine and beyond.
He was a powerful figure in the far-right movement allied with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
His loss will likely spell an end to Hungary's adversarial role inside the EU, possibly opening the way for a 90 billion euro ($150 billion) loan to war-battered Ukraine blocked by Mr Orbán.
Supporters of Peter Magyar celebrate after the parliamentary election in Budapest, Hungary. (AP Photo: Darko Bandic)
"Thank you, Hungary!'' Mr Magyar posted on X, as thousands of his supporters thronged the banks of the Danube in Budapest, chanting "We got it! We did it!"
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hailed Mr Magyar's victory as a move by the country towards Europe.
"Europe's heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight," Ms von der Leyen said in a post on X.
"Hungary has chosen Europe. A country reclaims its European path. The Union grows stronger."
Mr Magyer was also congratulated by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The voter turnout by 6:30pm, local time, was over 77 per cent, according to the National Election Office — a record number in any election in Hungary's post-communist history.
After casting his vote, Mr Magyar told reporters that the election was "a choice between East or West, propaganda or honest public discourse, corruption or clean public life".
Serious challenger on the rise
Peter Magyar is the leader of the centre-right, pro-EU Tisza party. (AP Photo: Denes Erdo)
Mr Magyar rapidly rose to become Mr Orbán's most serious challenger.
The 45-year-old campaigned on issues affecting ordinary voters, including Hungary's faltering public health care and transportation sectors and what he describes as rampant government corruption.
A former insider within Mr Orbán's Fidesz, Mr Magyar broke with the party in 2024 and quickly formed Tisza.
Since then, he has toured Hungary relentlessly, holding rallies in settlements big and small in a campaign blitz that recently had him visiting up to six towns daily.
Tisza won 30 per cent of the vote in European Parliament elections in 2024 and Mr Magyar took a seat as an EU MP.
Tisza is a member of the European People's Party, the mainstream, centre-right political family with leaders governing 12 of the EU's 27 nations.
Reuters/AP
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