Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán greets supporters at the Bálna centre in Budapest during Fidesz’s election night event in Hungary, on April 12, 2026.
ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP
Fidesz will “reorganise ourselves in the coming weeks,” before working towards success in the next election.
Fidesz’s election defeat on Sunday is not the end of the story. Rather, its leaders insist that it is just the beginning.
After 16 years in power, the party is not used to being in opposition. But neither is Péter Magyar’s Tisza used to operating in government. This will no doubt be beneficial in Viktor Orbán’s mission to take back possession of the keys after the next national election, which will take place no later than 2030.
The outgoing prime minister’s first task is, in his own words, to “reorganise ourselves in the coming weeks,” by visiting “every constituency, and to bring together our volunteers, activists, representatives and candidates.” Orbán described this as a key part of his plan “to protect the achievements of the patriotic side,” adding:
The voters of the patriotic side can always count on us … We have served the Hungarian people faithfully for decades, and we will continue to do so in the years ahead.
The work begins now. We will regroup and continue fighting for the Hungarian people! pic.twitter.com/3PKz3UTOrR
Conservatives across the continent agree with his sentiment that “the work begins now.” Dutch populist Geert Wilders announced on Sunday that “we’ll keep fighting,” despite—or, perhaps, because of—the “sad” result, which the right-wing Mi Hazánk party believes is contested due to alleged social media interference. And the Patriots group in the European Parliament also stressed that it is “more united than before and determined to intensify its efforts.”
Buoyed by an outpouring of support for his government’s work to defend Hungary’s borders, sovereignty and economy, Balázs Orbán, political director of the outgoing PM, assured international allies that “the fight to defend our borders, preserve our national identity, and uphold sovereignty and strong families does not end here. We will continue this work together”—“for the values and causes that unite our nations.”
Perhaps most importantly, he stressed that “we will learn from this moment and come back stronger,” adding:
Together, we will make Europe GREAT again.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
