Orban to Give Up Parliamentary Seat After 16 Years in Power

Hungary's outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on April 25 that he will relinquish his parliamentary seat following his crushing electoral defeat to political newcomer Peter Magyar, bringing an end to his 16 years in power. Orban's Fidesz-KDNP coalition was decisively beaten in the April 12 election, with Magyar's Tisza party winning a two-thirds parliamentary majority in a vote marked by record turnout in the central European nation. In a Facebook video, Orban stated that since his seat was effectively a parliamentary seat for Fidesz, he had decided to return it, explaining that he was not needed in Parliament but rather in reorganizing the national camp. The 62-year-old Orban, who has maintained a continuous presence in Hungary's National Assembly since 1990, indicated his willingness to remain as Fidesz party president if the party decides this during its June congress. Magyar responded with criticism, accusing Orban of cowardice and claiming that with a "mafia boss" in charge, there could be no democratic opposition. The newly elected parliament is scheduled to hold its inaugural session on May 9, when lawmakers will take their oath of office. The Tisza party secured 141 mandates, Fidesz-KDNP received 52 seats, and the far-right Our Homeland party won 6 seats in the 199-member National Assembly. Even before formally assuming office, Magyar has issued an ultimatum demanding the resignation of President Tamás Sulyok and the attorney general before May 31, the date set for the parliament's formal constitution.