Fidesz re-elects Orbán after historic loss

Orban re-elected as Fidesz party leader

Viktor Orbán was re-elected as chairman of Fidesz for another year at the party’s congress on Saturday, after standing as the sole candidate. According to the results, 729 delegates voted in favour of his reappointment, while eight delegates did not cast a vote. Orbán has led the party since 1993, except for three years between 2000 and 2003. Delegates also approved the party’s four deputy chairs. Speaking after the result was announced, Orbán thanked members for their confidence and said they were prepared to devote even a decade to building a "sovereign Hungary."

Orbán said he believed that moment represented Hungary’s final opportunity before being “swallowed up by the bottomless pit that is the Western globalist liberal world”. Reflecting on his years in office, he said he had not anticipated developments such as the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and migration. He warned that “the foreigners are coming, and they’ll empty Hungary's pockets”, adding that he knew both his opponents and the challenges facing the country.

Orbán said he had considered stepping down after following Fidesz’s election defeat in April, but not to withdraw completely from public life. "I do not give up, I never, never, never, never, never give up," he said. “I have always been open about what you are getting with me. You know I have no interest in changing. I don’t do things halfheartedly, I don't make complete U-turns, and I won’t be showing up at frivolous parties,” he said, adding that "neither wealth nor international recognition motivated him" and that he wished only to serve his country.

Orban government had plans for a secret migrant camp, Magyar says

According to Hungarian PM Péter Magyar, after the 2024 European Parliament elections, the Orbán government had planned to build a migrant facility near the Austrian border. He claimed the project was intended to ease tensions with the European Union and halt the daily €1m fine imposed on Hungary over its migration policies. The interior minister strongly denied the allegation at the time, but Magyar and his allies have continued to argue that a classified government decree relating to the project exists. Magyar now says that, following the change of government, a previously classified document has surfaced which could demonstrate that the former administration had indeed planned a refugee facility in the village of Vitnyéd, near the Austrian border.

Speaking in parliament, Magyar told Fidesz MP János Pócs that the government had intended to spend several billion forints on establishing a migrant camp in Vitnyéd and had prepared a secret cabinet resolution to that effect. He pledged to release both the decree and related official documents. The controversy first emerged in autumn 2024, when residents and journalists noticed construction work at Csermajor being carried out under police supervision. While the government repeatedly denied that a refugee camp was being built, local speculation persisted, with estimates suggesting the site could accommodate up to 500 people.

Hungary ranks last in the EU in terms of consumption

Consumption by Hungarian households stood at 73% of the European Union average in 2025, tying with Latvia for last place among member states, according to Portfolio’s report on the latest Eurostat data. The publication notes that this is the first time comparable EU-wide statistics on 2025 consumption have been released.

The picture has not changed much from the previous year, but the slight shifts have been unfavorable for Hungary. In 2024, Latvia’s final consumption was the lowest at 72% of the EU average, while Hungary tied with Bulgaria for second-to-last place at 73%. In 2025, the Bulgarian and Latvian figures improved, so we now share the bottom spot with Latvia, just behind Estonia at 74%. The Bulgarians improved to 77%. Among the Central European EU member states, Romania is far ahead of Hungary at 86%, while Slovakia stands at 77%, the Czech Republic at 83%, and Poland at 88%. Hungary’s relative consumption level is low, even by its level of development.