Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP alliance has secured a decisive victory in the Hungarian parliamentary elections, clearing the way for another Fidesz-led supermajority in the country’s unicameral legislature, the Hungarian National Assembly.

Although a Fidesz victory was widely predicted, the scale of its constitutional majority (Fidesz’s largest ever) was a surprise. The result is a hammer blow to the country’s moderate opposition which significantly underperformed expectations, despite standing united for the first time since Orbán returned to office in 2010.

The opposition’s crushing underperformance comes as the far-right Our Homeland party – beating all expectations – passed the 5% threshold to enter parliament.

Widely seen as a victory of Central and Eastern European illiberalism, Fidesz’s decisive win will mean an uninterrupted legislative cycle for the ruling bloc and a disintegrating opposition in the short term.

As Hungary faces challenges on multiple fronts, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, its dire economic consequences and Hungary’s troubled relations with the EU, Aretera takes a deeper look at the election results, as well as the political and policy implications of this massive Fidesz victory.