Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party has re-elected former Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, as its leader for another year, despite the party’s defeat in the April 12 election to the centre-right Tisza party.
Orbán, a nationalist who has long positioned himself as a leading figure for right-wing conservatives across Europe and the United States through his “illiberal” model of democracy, had faced growing questions over his political future following the loss.
The setback sparked pressure from some former loyalists urging him to step aside, marking the first open dissent within Fidesz since he first came to power in 2010.
However, at the party congress, Orbán received overwhelming backing, with 729 of 737 delegates voting for his re-election, according to state news agency MTI. No challengers stood against him.
“I do not give up, I never, never, never, never, never give up,” Orbán told the congress in a speech before the vote, reiterating that he took full responsibility for the party’s election defeat.
He also acknowledged Fidesz’s long tenure in power, describing it as a “fantastic governing party” for 16 years, while stressing the need for internal reforms to reposition it as an effective opposition capable of returning to power.
In the April vote, Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority, enough to overturn Orbán’s constitutional changes.
Since the election, Fidesz’s popularity has declined further. A May Publicus Institute poll placed Tisza at 55% support, up from 53% at the election, while Fidesz dropped to 17%, down from 39%.
