Partial results from 72.44% of polling stations in Hungary’s parliamentary election show Tisza with a lead over Fidesz, with a record turnout of 77.8%.
Partial Results and Seat Allocation
After counting votes from 72.44% of polling stations, the current seat distribution in parliament is 138 mandates for Tisza and 54 for Fidesz.
As of now, Tisza has secured 53.45% of the votes, while Fidesz has 37.92%. The far-right Mi Hazank party has also surpassed the 5% electoral threshold, receiving 5.99% of the votes.
Election Day and Turnout
Polling stations closed at 7:00 PM on Sunday in Hungary’s parliamentary elections. Voters already in line at closing time were allowed to cast their ballots.
A record turnout was observed, with 77.8% of eligible voters participating by 6:30 PM. The final turnout in the 2022 elections was 69.59%.
Electoral System
Hungarians elected 199 deputies to the National Assembly, a unicameral parliament. 106 are elected in single-member districts, and the remaining 93 are chosen from national party lists.
In each district, the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority.
Voting Process and Thresholds
Eligible Hungarian citizens voting domestically were entitled to cast two votes: one for a candidate in a single-member district and another for a party or national minority list.
Voters abroad cast only one vote, for a national party list. The electoral threshold is 5% for parties, 10% for two-party coalitions, and 15% for lists of three or more parties. The D’Hondt method is used for allocating seats from party lists.
Final Results and Vote Counting
Vote counting began immediately after 7:00 PM. No exit polls were conducted within the country.
Votes cast abroad must arrive by the fourth day after the election and be counted by April 18th. Due to the close race, the final results may not be known until Saturday.
This year saw a record number of registered voters abroad – over 90,000 – and a record number of postal voters, nearly 224,000, according to NVI data.
Candidates’ Reactions
Both main rivals will await the results in Budapest. Orbán and Fidesz are holding their election night event at the Balna complex on the Danube, while Magyar and Tisza members are gathering at Batthyány Square, opposite the Hungarian Parliament.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated after voting that he would respect the outcome of the election if the opposition wins, adding, “The people’s decision must be respected,” but emphasized he “came here to win.”
Tisza leader Péter Magyar emphasized after voting that “no one can seriously believe that Tisza will not win the election.” He added that the question is whether the party will achieve a simple or a two-thirds qualified majority, needed for constitutional changes, and that he will accept the results if there is no fraud that significantly impacts the final outcome.
Candidate Profiles
Viktor Orbán, co-founder and leader of Fidesz, has governed Hungary continuously since 2010. He began his political career in 1989 by calling for the departure of Soviet troops.
Since returning to power 16 years ago, he has transformed into an outspoken opponent of liberal democracy, changing the constitution and strengthening government control over the media and judiciary. Under his rule, Hungary has been identified by Transparency International as the most corrupt country in the European Union.
His rival, Péter Magyar, is a former member of Fidesz who previously worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Hungary’s permanent representation to the EU. He gained wider recognition in 2024 after President Katalin Novák pardoned a person convicted of covering up pedophilia.
Magyar criticized the corruption of Orbán’s power system in a YouTube video, leading to his departure from Fidesz. The video reached millions of viewers – approximately 10% of the Hungarian population – and he organized the largest protests in years, leading the Respect and Freedom Party (Tisza) to a second-place finish in the 2024 European Parliament elections.
