Orban keeps Fidesz leadership after Hungary election defeat

Viktor Orban has been re-elected as leader of Hungary’s Fidesz party, keeping control of the opposition group after its April election defeat ended his long run in power. The vote matters because Orban remains the central figure on Hungary’s right even as Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s Tisza party begins undoing parts of his legacy, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Hungary’s state news agency MTI reported that 729 of 737 delegates backed Orban at a Fidesz congress on Saturday. MTI said Orban ran without an opponent and won another one-year term.

Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Fidesz, described as pro-Russian, lost the April election to Tisza, a centre-right and pro-Western party led by Magyar. Orban’s position had come under scrutiny after the defeat, with some former loyalists urging him to leave politics, according to the report.

In a speech before the vote, Orban told delegates: “I do not give up, I never, never, never, never, never give up,” Al Jazeera and Reuters reported. He also said he accepted full responsibility for Fidesz’s election loss.

Orban, 62, told the congress that Fidesz had governed effectively for 16 years but now had to adapt to opposition politics and prepare itself to return to office, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

Magyar’s government moves to reverse Orban-era policies

Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Magyar’s Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in parliament in the April 12 election. That margin gives the government the votes needed to roll back constitutional changes adopted under Orban that affected the judiciary, media, universities and other institutions, according to the report.

Since taking office in May, Magyar has said he intends to change the constitution to remove President Tamas Sulyok and other officials appointed under Orban, Al Jazeera reported. His government also agreed to lift Orban’s veto on Ukraine’s pursuit of European Union membership, allowing accession talks to resume next week in Luxembourg, according to Al Jazeera.

The European Union announced that it would release 16.4 billion euros, or about $19 billion, from 18 billion euros, or about $21 billion, designated for Hungary, Al Jazeera reported. The money had been frozen over concerns tied to democratic backsliding, corruption and the treatment of LGBTQ issues, according to the report.

Polls show Fidesz losing ground

Fidesz has fallen further since the election, according to polling cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters. A May survey by the Publicus Institute put Tisza at 55 percent support, up from its 53 percent election result, while Fidesz stood at 17 percent, down from 39 percent.

Al Jazeera and Reuters described Orban as a nationalist politician who influenced right-wing conservatives in Europe and the United States through what he called an “illiberal” model of democracy. During his time as prime minister, he maintained close ties with United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the report.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.