Fidesz faces existential crisis in Hungary after election defeat

The Hungarian political party Fidesz is facing an existential crisis following a major defeat in the April parliamentary elections. The party, which had maintained a supermajority for 16 years under Viktor Orbán, was unseated by Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party. Current polling indicates a massive shift in public sentiment, with Tisza holding nearly 70% support while Fidesz has fallen below 20%.

Internal discussions within Fidesz are reportedly exploring several drastic options to address the decline, including a complete reorganization, a rebranding effort without Orbán, or the total dissolution of the party to make way for a new conservative movement. While Orbán resigned his parliamentary mandate following the defeat, he was re-elected as party chairman in May to determine a new direction.

Corruption investigations and the departure of prominent political figures have further strained the party’s standing. An internal questionnaire circulated in August asked members to propose ways to navigate the crisis, ranging from forming a new right-wing movement to starting fresh with new personnel. An anonymous source stated that while there is no immediate emergency, the decision on whether the party should continue in its current form has been postponed for several months.