Hungary’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP has won the country’s EU elections, securing 11 of 21 MEP seats, down from 13 seats gained in 2019. While Fidesz also performed well in the local elections, and has expanded its number of supporters in EU elections to two million, the arguable winner of Sunday’s double vote is the newly formed Respect and Freedom Party (TISZA) of ex-government insider Péter Magyar.

Having entered party politics only two months ago, TISZA secured nearly 30% of the popular vote on a turnout of 56%, gaining seven MEP seats and also emerging to prominence in the Budapest City Council elections. The party’s emergence came together with crumbling support for Hungary’s establishment opposition parties. Alongside Fidesz and TISZA, only the centre-left Democratic Coalition (DK) and the far-right Our Homeland will send MEPs to Brussels/Strasbourg of the 11 parties and alliances which ran in the EU election.

No opposition party has reached 30% in popular support since Fidesz took power in 2010, meaning that TISZA is well placed to emerge as a strong challenger to PM Orbán’s rule in the 2026 parliamentary elections. However, it remains uncertain whether Magyar will be able to keep up the momentum behind his support. At the same time, support for the governing Fidesz remains stable, which is a remarkable development on its own for a party that has been in power for 14 years.