An opposition party defeated Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in national elections on Sunday, marking a stunning end to his 16-year tenure.
Orbán conceded to challenger Péter Magyar, a conservative who ran on an anti-corruption platform, as projections showed the opposition was on track to win a two-thirds majority.
Orbán’s defeat is welcome news to many in Brussels, where the Hungarian — a close ally of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — has been a thorn in the EU’s side. “Hungary has chosen Europe,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote.
But even with Orbán’s ouster, many of Hungary’s institutions remain entrenched with his loyalists, and Slovak leader Robert Fico vowed to continue his anti-EU push even without his close partner.