Orban concedes defeat in national Hungarian elections

Time for change in Hugary!

From here:

Hungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in power

“More congratulations are coming in for Péter Magyar’s Tisza, including from German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Ireland’s prime minister Micheál Martin and Croatia’s Andrej Plenković.”

From Brave AI:

“Péter Magyar’s Tisza party has unveiled a platform centered on the “Hungarian New Deal,” promising to reclaim EU funds currently tied up in corruption and invest them directly into healthcare, education, and rural development.

Key policy pillars include a universal 9% personal income tax, a zero VAT rate on medicines, and a maximum 5% VAT on healthy foods, alongside a cap on the Prime Minister’s salary at 2.5 million forints and a limit of two terms (8 years) for the office.

The party’s platform also features significant institutional and social reforms:

• Anti-Corruption Measures: Establishing an asset recovery office, pursuing bids against the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), and suspending state media news output until balanced reporting is ensured.

• Governance Changes: Returning powers and resources to local governments in education and social services, and removing the ability for the Prime Minister to hold office beyond two terms.

• Foreign Policy & Security: Maintaining strict migration controls and the border fence while opposing mandatory migration quotas and accelerated Ukraine EU accession, yet supporting Hungary’s membership in the EU and NATO and seeking to end the country’s role as a “permanent disruptor” in favor of negotiation.

• Economic & Social Support: Introducing a Pensioner SZÉP Card with a 200,000 forint annual value for food and medicine, and imposing an extra tax on assets exceeding 5 billion forints.

The Tisza party aims to use these policies to secure an absolute majority in the 199-seat National Assembly, which they argue is necessary to reform the electoral system and constitution. Their strategy involves avoiding controversial cultural debates to unify voters, while positioning themselves as a centre-right, pro-EU alternative to Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz, which they accuse of cronyism and weakening judicial independence.

Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party does not support the EU’s migration pact, which includes financial solidarity payments in lieu of accepting migrants. The party’s 2026 election manifesto explicitly rejects the EU Migration Pact and opposes both refugee relocation and solidarity payments, aligning with the current Fidesz government’s hardline stance on border protection.

hile the party pledges to restore ties with the EU and unlock frozen funds, it maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward illegal immigration and plans to keep the southern border fence. The manifesto states that illegal immigrants from Western Europe will not be resettled in Hungary, and the party intends to ban guest workers from outside Europe starting in June 2026.

Key positions from the Tisza manifesto:

• Rejects the EU Migration Pact and its mandatory relocation quotas.

• Opposes solidarity payments to compensate other EU states for migration.

• Vows to maintain the border fence and prevent illegal immigration.

• Plans to end the guest worker program for non-EU nationals by summer 2026.

Despite this hardline rhetoric, some analysts suggest that a Tisza government might be more willing to negotiate derogations with Brussels to serve national interests, rather than openly flouting EU law as the current government has done. However, the party’s official platform remains firmly opposed to any form of mandatory migration quotas or financial contributions to the EU’s asylum system.”

We shall see.

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