OYBİRLİĞİ ASSOCIATION – INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS UNIT
Hungary Elections 2026
Will the End of the Orbán Era Restore Unanimity in the European Union?
I. New Balances in Hungary
In the parliamentary elections held in Hungary on 12 April 2026, the Tisza Party led by Péter Magyar won 138 seats in the 199-member National Assembly, thereby securing the two-thirds majority required to amend the Constitution. As a result, Fidesz, led by Viktor Orbán and in power since 2010, lost its parliamentary majority for the first time.
According to the election results, while the Tisza Party achieved a constitutional majority on its own, Fidesz remained at 55 seats. This outcome points not only to a change of government, but also to a new period capable of producing constitutional and institutional consequences in terms of the scope of the legislative majority. In this respect, the election is significant not merely because executive power changed hands in Hungary, but also because it reshaped the country’s constitutional capacity for legal action and the parliamentary balance.
Under Hungarian constitutional law, a two-thirds majority provides a broader legal capacity for action than ordinary legislative activity. This majority is of particular importance for amending laws, adopting or modifying regulations in certain constitutionally protected areas that require a special majority, and exercising influence in specific constitutional or institutional appointment processes. For this reason, the election result should be assessed not only as a change in the executive, but also in terms of the impact of the legislative majority on the constitutional order. Although the Tisza Party, like the previous ruling party, is situated within a centre-right political line, it has, unlike its predecessor, adopted a reform-oriented approach emphasising the strengthening of institutional relations with the European Union. This, in turn, indicates that certain constitutional and legislative alignment measures may come onto the agenda in the new period.
II. European Union Law and Institutional Alignment
The significance of the election results from the perspective of European Union law arises particularly within the framework of decision-making procedures and institutional alignment mechanisms within the Union. Within the European Union, decisions in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy are, as a rule, subject to the principle of unanimity. This structure allows each member state to exercise individual influence in certain areas of decision-making. In the past, Hungary was the state that most frequently blocked EU decisions, with 21 vetoes. For this reason, Hungary’s approach to these mechanisms in the new period is of institutional importance for the functioning of internal EU decision-making processes. In particular, the special procedures laid down in the treaties concerning foreign policy and sanctions regimes render the positions of member states not merely political, but also legally consequential.
From the perspective of financial law, the process should be examined within the framework of conditionality mechanisms aimed at protecting the European Union budget. Hungary’s access to European Union funds is linked to the fulfilment of specific reform measures, institutional standards, and the expectations of the European Commission. According to the official statements of the European Commission concerning Hungary, the country’s recovery and resilience plan includes numerous reform and investment components, and the implementation of this plan is contingent upon the fulfilment of certain milestones and targets. In this context, the broad legislative capacity held by the new parliament provides a technical possibility for carrying out the legal and institutional arrangements deemed necessary by other EU member states.
III. Hungary’s Political Structure
Form of Government: Unicameral parliamentary republic.
Head of State: The President of the Republic is an office representing the unity of the state and primarily performs ceremonial functions. The office does not play a decisive political role in the day-to-day functioning of the executive.
Executive: Executive power is exercised by the government and the prime minister formed by the political force holding the parliamentary majority. The prime minister is the effective centre of executive authority within the political system, and the government is accountable to parliament.
Legislature: Legislative power is exercised by the unicameral National Assembly (Országgyűlés). The Assembly consists of 199 members elected for a four-year term.
Electoral System: Hungary applies a mixed electoral system. 106 members of parliament are elected from single-member constituencies, while 93 are elected from national party lists. A two-thirds majority in parliament is of particular importance for constitutional amendments and certain constitutional and institutional arrangements.
Administrative Structure: The country displays a centralised administrative structure. This increases the influence of the central government over local administrations, budget allocation, and public governance.
Judiciary: Judicial authority is exercised by independent courts. Constitutional review is carried out by the Constitutional Court.
Prepared by: Ahmet Deveci
Bibliography:
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/how-does-the-council-vote/unanimity/
https://reforms-investments.ec.europa.eu/hungarys-recovery-and-resilience-plan_en
