Viktor Orbán Wins Fourth Consecutive Term as Prime Minister of Hungary

Orban’s Fidesz-led party again prevails at the polls.

Hungary's incumbent Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán has won a fourth consecutive term in office. This is his fifth in total after a dominant performance at the polls from his nationalist Fidesz party. Six opposition parties had rallied their efforts behind one candidate, Péter Márki-Zay to unseat Orbán.

However, on polling day their support faltered and they proved no match for Fidesz which has secured another two-thirds majority in parliament. With around 91% of votes tallied, Orban’s Fidesz-led coalition had won 53%, while a pro-European opposition coalition, United for Hungary, had just over 34%.

Challenger Peter Marki-Zay, campaigned on bringing the landlocked nation of almost 10 million people closer to the E.U. and highlighting Orban’s close historic links with Putin. Orban, in turn, campaigned on keeping Hungary out of the Ukraine war entirely—avoiding much of the economic fallout that European nations are already bearing for their sanctions against Russia. In the end, Orban prevailed.