Hungary’s Fidesz party re-elected former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as its leader at a party congress on Saturday, following the party’s defeat in the country’s April general election. Orbán, who ran for the leadership position unopposed, secured the role for another year.
The vote took place at the Fidesz party congress, where 729 of the 737 delegates present voted in favor of Orbán’s continued leadership, the state news agency MTI reported.
In a speech to the congress before the vote, Orbán addressed his party’s election loss. “I do not give up, I never, never, never, never, never give up,” Orbán said, stating that he took full responsibility for the defeat. He added that while Fidesz had been a governing party for 16 years, it now needed to adapt to become a functional opposition party with the goal of returning to government.
The re-election follows the April 12 general election, in which the Fidesz party was defeated by Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party. The Tisza party secured a two-thirds majority in parliament, ending Fidesz’s tenure in power, which began in 2010.
Since taking office in May, Magyar’s government has announced several policy shifts. The government has stated its intention to amend the constitution and has agreed to lift the previous government’s veto on Ukraine pursuing European Union membership. Accession talks between the EU and Ukraine are scheduled to proceed.
Following these developments, the EU announced it would release €16.4 billion ($19 billion) of the €18 billion ($21 billion) in funds previously allocated for Hungary. The funds had been frozen by the bloc, which cited concerns over democratic standards, corruption, and LGBTQ rights under the former government.
Recent opinion polls indicate a shift in public support since the election. A May survey conducted by the Publicus Institute showed the Tisza party with 55% support among voters, an increase from the 53% it received in the election. The same poll showed support for Fidesz at 17%, a decrease from the 39% of the vote it secured in April.
