Orbán Loses Hungarian Election!

by Rod Williams, April 13, 2026- Orban is out! It is time to pop the Champagne corks and set off fireworks. It is a fantastic turn of events that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lost his reelection bid. 

Peter Magyar, who is also conservative and a former member of Orban’s party, will be the next prime minister. Russia had been heavily involved in trying to help Orban win reelection, as well as the Trump administration. Vice President J. D. Vance went to Hungary to campaign for Orban. 

Hungary is a member of EU and NATO but under Orban has been working to undermine those entities and has sided with Russia in its brutal invasion of Ukraine.  Hungary has been blocking a 90-billion-euro E.U. loan for Ukraine. Hungary has also been sharing sensitive, classified European Union and NATO intelligence with Russia. Hungary's Foreign Minister provided direct updates to Moscow during EU meetings, causing the EU to restrict information sharing with Budapest. 

MAGA Republicans have been cheering for and praising Orban. On the Trumpian right, he is seen as a European version of Trump and as a defender of the Christian faith.  It is kind of weird that the Trumpian right views Hungary as the defender of the Christian faith. The country is highly secularized, and a large portion of the population is non-religious or declines to answer questions about their religious preferences. While the 2011 constitution highlights Christian heritage, 2022 census data indicate that only about 42.5% identify as Christian, 16.1% are not religious, and 40.1% did not report. (link) Hungary is no more Christian than many other European nations. 

U.S. conservatives have held up Orbán's rule as a model for conservative populist leadership in liberal Western democracies. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) had Orban as a guest speaker at their annual conference a few years ago and CPAC even hosted a European version of of CPAC in Hungary that featured Oban. 

Orban governed much the way Trump has attempted to govern, using the power of government to silence critics and punish enemies and has curtailed liberties and worked to destroy civil society and institutions. 

Today is a good day for democracy!

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