Peter Magyar and his Tisza party have made Hungarian election history, sending Prime Minister Viktor Orban into opposition after 16 years in power. Although the winner is clear and a constitutional majority is secured, the process of transitioning power and forming a new government is just beginning and is fraught with bureaucratic challenges.
While election night felt exhaustingly long to many, the winner faces an even longer and no less difficult period ahead. Millions of people had cast their votes by Sunday evening (April 12), but several more weeks must pass before the country’s fate officially turns in the direction of the majority’s will.
From election day to the symbolic swearing-in of the new prime minister and the formation of a government, at least a month is required, and the entire process can take between five and eight weeks.
Historic Record and Two-Thirds Majority
Peter Magyar and his Tisza not only won but also managed to make Hungarian election history in terms of vote count. With nearly 100% of ballots processed, Magyar’s party secured an incredible 3,066,881 votes, surpassing the previous record of 3,060,706 votes once set by the Fidesz-KDNP coalition.
Viktor Orban, in his press conference, spoke of a total of 2.5 million voters for his side. When postal votes are included, Fidesz will have roughly that number on its list, representing a serious drop of half a million votes compared to the elections four years ago.
When it comes to the distribution of seats in the 199-seat parliament, the situation is clear:
Fidesz - KDNP: 55 seats Our Homeland (Mi Hazánk): 6 seats
Although Tisza has secured a two-thirds majority and Viktor Orban has already congratulated Magyar on the victory, the results announced on election night are still not officially final.
Thirty Long Nights Until the Final Transition
For the new government and parliament to begin their mandate, rigorous legal procedures must be followed. The votes of citizens who cast their ballots outside their place of residence, as well as those collected in diplomatic-consular representations worldwide, will only be counted on April 18.
In extremely tight electoral districts, these votes could overturn the outcome, meaning the allocation of several seats could still undergo minor changes.
Even the results known a week after the election will not be final. After that, a period for legal appeals follows. Results in individual districts can be contested, with such disputes first decided by the National Election Commission (NVB) and ultimately by the courts. Moreover, constitutional complaints can be filed with the Constitutional Court against decisions made during the electoral process.
Past election experiences in Hungary show that the legally binding final results will only be published two to three weeks after voting, after which the formal takeover of institutions and the beginning of a new political era in Budapest will follow.