Viktor Orban called opposition leader Peter Magyar and congratulated him on winning Hungary's parliamentary elections. Magyar announced the call on his Facebook page. Sixteen years of Fidesz rule in Hungary are coming to an end.
As Hvylya reports, with 53.45% of ballots processed, Magyar's Tisza party holds a commanding lead with 136 seats against 56 for the ruling Fidesz-KDNP bloc, according to Hungary's National Election Office.
"Prime Minister Viktor Orban has just called and congratulated us on our victory," Magyar wrote on Facebook. The call itself amounts to a concession - made before the vote count is even finished.
According to preliminary results, Tisza is winning 41 seats on party lists and 95 in single-member constituencies. Fidesz-KDNP has 45 list seats but only 11 constituency wins. The far-right Mi Hazank picks up 7 list seats.
The 136-seat haul exceeds the two-thirds supermajority threshold in Hungary's 199-seat parliament. This gives Magyar's party the power not only to form a government but to amend the constitution without support from any other party.
Polls closed at 8 p.m. with turnout reaching 77.8% - an all-time record in Hungarian electoral history. The last pre-election poll by 21 Research Center had projected 132 seats for Tisza. The actual result is shaping up to be even more decisive.