in Hungary, Viktor Orban’s party remains in the lead but sees the opposition make a strong breakthrough

The populist and conservative Fidesz party came first, but Peter Magyar, emerging rival of the Hungarian Prime Minister, created a surprise by obtaining almost 30% of the votes.

A mixed victory in the European elections for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. His party, Fidesz, a populist and ultraconservative formation, came first with 44.62% of the votes, Sunday June 9, according to almost complete results reported by the Hungarian national electoral office. Tisza, a new opposition movement formed by Peter Magyar, came in second place with 29.69% of the votes. The group led by the Democratic Coalition (DK) is third, with 8.10% of the vote.

According to the results published by the Hungarian electoral authoritiesFidesz, which is one of those not registered in the hemicycle of the European Parliament after leaving the conservative right of the European People’s Party (EPP), should obtain 11 seats (one less compared to the previous mandate). This would constitute the worst performance of the ultraconservative movement in European elections since Hungary joined the EU in 2004.

Will he join the group of European Conservatives and Reformists (CRE), which notably includes Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party? “We wish, with Fidesz, to join the CRE, but also to know clearly what will be, on the one hand, its relations with the National Rally and, on the other hand, those it will maintain with the EPP”, Viktor Orban recently declared in an interview with Point at the end of May.

The young Tisza movement won seven seats according to the Hungarian electoral office. Peter Magyar’s party is expected to join the ranks of the European People’s Party (EPP). Within the alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), DK wins two seats, compared to four since 2019.

Viktor Orban, a eurosceptic voice close to Moscow who stands out within the Twenty-Seven, has made the theme of war a strong axis of his campaign. “These elections are historic. In ten years, they will probably be seen as those which decided peace or war in Europe,” he insisted to the Point. The Hungarian Prime Minister, who is once again blocking European military aid for kyiv, gathered tens of thousands of supporters around a “peace march” a week before the election. Viktor Orban believes that Ukraine “can’t win” against Russia and readily presented himself as “the only one to fight for peace” in Europe.

During this campaign, Fidesz invested heavily in online political advertisements, reports Politico. But these efforts were tainted by the resignation of Hungarian President Katalin Novak. The leader had pardoned a manager of a children’s home involved in a child crime case. Peter Magyar, formerly of Fidesz, emerged in the wake of this scandal. As the researcher notes Zsolt Enyedihe notably succeeded in capturing a part of the electorate with speeches castigating the corruption of those in power.