The outgoing prime minister and chairman of Fidesz spoke on Thursday in an interview broadcast on YouTube channel “Patrióta” about a complete renewal of the right-wing community. Viktor Orbán noted that the ruling parties had suffered a clear defeat and took responsibility for the election campaign.
Viktor Orbán said the numbers spoke for themselves; this was a clear defeat: the ruling parties had received 2.3 million votes, while the opposition had received 3.1 million.
He expressed the view that the right-wing community could not continue in its current form; a complete renewal was necessary, as a political era had come to an end.
We cannot continue our politics as we have done so far,
and the right-wing community, too, can no longer continue as it has done so far; many changes are necessary,” the Fidesz leader explained. He added: This applies not only to Fidesz but to the entire national camp; numerous new movements would emerge.
The outgoing prime minister considers it a serious failure of the government that the Paks nuclear power plant project has dragged on for so long and could not be completed; for if it had been built more quickly, the situation of the Hungarian economy would be much easier, and there would be more and cheaper energy.
He added that the tasks for the complete renewal of Fidesz had already been defined, the national executive committee had been convened, and he would propose convening a party congress to elect new leadership, at which the chairman and deputy chairmen would have to be voted on. He announced that by the end of June, the first phase of the complete renewal would be completed.
Orbán pointed out that as early as Sunday evening, after seeing the initial results, he had realized “that there would be problems here;” he had seen that their campaign had not worked, as they had expected voter turnout to be roughly the same as usual. When asked who was responsible for this, Orbán replied:
As party chairman, I must take full responsibility for this, as it stands, body and soul, one hundred percent.”
The outgoing prime minister also said: “Those who voted for the governing parties should be proud of their decision that they voted correctly.” They had voted for a political force and a program that had proven itself, had very significant achievements to its credit, and which they knew for certain was capable of solving the problems facing Hungary, he explained, adding: “Aware that we made the right decision, we must bear this defeat with dignity.”
🇭🇺 @PM_ViktorOrban: Those who supported us should be proud. They voted for a proven force with real achievements and the ability to lead Hungary forward. pic.twitter.com/Dw2SSfvZZU
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) April 16, 2026
Orbán emphasized, however, that he was not claiming the other 3.1 million people had made the wrong choice. “What their decision amounts to remains to be seen,” he said. “Voters voted more on the future than on the past. I have the feeling that they expect more from the TISZA Party, which they voted for, than from us,” he noted.
The politician also acknowledged:
The government had made mistakes; to identify the causes, further discussions were still necessary,”
which would take place in the near future. He responded to the corruption allegations by stating that they had certainly played a role in the TISZA Party’s two-thirds victory, but made it clear that he had never tolerated any form of corruption and had always supported the actions of authorities. Orbán added that corruption should not be equated with a “life of luxury,” as that is a matter of lifestyle and continuing it would be “suicide.”
🛡️ @PM_ViktorOrban: We will never cheer against our own country. We are rooting for our country to survive, to defend its independence, its sovereignty and to find answers to the questions we face. pic.twitter.com/CCVk7EjHa1
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) April 16, 2026
Regarding the new government, he stated that TISZA had made a clear promise, and he hoped it could keep it so that people could live better lives. Orbán promised that they would support everything good and oppose everything bad; and wherever they perceived destruction, they would stand up against injustice.
For example, it was not right at all that the president elected by parliament had been called upon to resign, nor was it right to threaten the Constitutional Court or other constitutional institutions,
he declared.
The politician emphasized that destroying the nation’s achievements would not improve people’s lives but make them worse; the next government must “not destroy but build, not reduce but increase the number of national achievements.” If the right undergoes a complete renewal, it can very quickly become capable of action and stand up against injustices, advocate for those who have been treated unfairly, and defend the achievements of the past 16 years, he explained.
🇭🇺@PM_ViktorOrban: We are evaluating the election, meeting our communities, and preparing for renewal. I’ve already given out tasks, for example the tasks of the complete renewal of Fidesz, or the timetable for that has been set, and the Presidency has convened the national… pic.twitter.com/zC0rEfxF8H
— Zoltan Kovacs (@zoltanspox) April 16, 2026
The Fidesz chairman stated that work is currently underway on a complete renewal of the parliamentary group, as the people who entered parliament are not the ones needed there. He stated that those elected to the National Assembly in Sunday’s elections could have done a good job in the event of a Fidesz victory, which is why “the entire parliamentary group must be restructured based on the party list.” “I will support a profound restructuring,” the politician declared, noting that he would also need to reach an agreement on this with the elected representatives. He added that they would also speak with the heads of the party’s internal think tanks and meet with Fidesz activists next week.
Regarding his own future, Orbán said it is not he, but his community that will decide what he will do in the near future.
The party leader emphasized that over the past 16 years, he had had less time to organize the community, and this was not the first time he was expected to reorganize this community as a movement. According to him, this is now the third such organizational phase following the early days and the 2002 election defeat, and he would carry out this work “not only willingly, but with joy” if he were tasked with it.
The politician noted: Traditional political categories such as the left or liberalism have today been “dried up by the sun”; what remains are the patriots and the globalists, and it is along these lines that the great questions of life will be posed, such as sovereignty, family benefits, migration, or the question of war and peace. The future belongs to the patriots; the future belongs to national politics. The national side has suffered a defeat now, but the future belongs to this side, Orbán emphasized.
Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Főosztály/Kaiser Ákos
