The former Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, was re-elected this Saturday as the leader of the conservative Fidesz party, a decision that reaffirms his influence within Hungarian politics despite the electoral defeat suffered by the party in the elections last April.
The voting took place during the party's national congress, where Orbán received almost unanimous support from the delegates. According to the state agency MTI, 729 of the 737 representatives present supported his continuation at the helm of the organization. No rival was presented to contest the leadership, reflecting the broad control he maintains over the party structure built over more than three decades of political activity.
The re-election comes at a time of uncertainty for Fidesz. After governing Hungary for 16 consecutive years, the party lost power in the elections on April 12 to the Tisza group, led by European Union employee and current Prime Minister Peter Magyar. The victory of Tisza was particularly decisive, as it allowed them to obtain a two-thirds parliamentary majority, sufficient to revise several of the constitutional reforms approved during the Orbán era.
Viktor Orban was decisively reelected by Hungary's conservative party following the recent electoral setback
Despite the electoral setback, the historic nationalist leader made it clear that he has no intention of leaving political life. During his speech at the congress, Orbán insisted that he will continue to fight for the future of his movement and personally took responsibility for the defeat.
''I do not give up. Never, never, never, never, never will I give up,'' he stated before hundreds of delegates and activists, in an intervention that set the tone for a new stage for the party.
Orbán acknowledged that Fidesz must adapt to its new status as opposition, but firmly defended the legacy of his governments. He expressed that the party was a successful governing force for more than a decade and a half and now needs to reorganize to become a power alternative again.
The electoral defeat generated speculation about the political future of the former Prime Minister. For the first time since his return to power in 2010, some voices within the conservative environment suggested that he should facilitate a generational renewal. However, the decisiveness of the result at the congress demonstrates that the vast majority of party leaders still consider Viktor Orbán as their main political reference.
Peter Magyar became the Prime Minister of Hungary after defeating Orban last April
During his years at the helm of the government, Orbán became one of the most influential figures in European conservatism. His policies on immigration control, defense of national sovereignty, and resistance to initiatives driven from Brussels gave him great international visibility and earned him the support of numerous right-wing and center-right movements both in Europe and in the United States.
His supporters highlight that under his administrations Hungary maintained a firm stance against irregular immigration, strengthened the role of the state in protecting borders, and defended traditional values against pressures from European institutions. They also argue that Orbán managed to make Hungary a relevant voice in the debates on national identity and sovereignty on the continent.
Conservative leaders are confident that the party can recover over time. They believe that the experience accumulated over years of governance, the territorial structure of Fidesz, and Orbán's permanence as leader provide a solid foundation for rebuilding the opposition.
With his re-election, Orbán sends a clear message to both his allies and his adversaries: despite having lost power, he is not willing to leave the political scene. On the contrary, he intends to personally lead the process of reorganizing Fidesz and prepare the way for a possible return to government in the coming years.
The Hungarian conservative leader assured that he will not abandon political life and that he will continue fighting for the country
