Turkish main opposition politicians Ekrem İmamoğlu and Özgür Özel congratulated Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar after his decisive election victory on Sunday, describing the result as a win for democracy over authoritarianism.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán conceded defeat Sunday after 16 years in power, following a landslide victory by Magyar’s Tisza party in parliamentary elections marked by a record turnout.
İmamoğlu, the jailed mayor of İstanbul from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), sent a message from Marmara Prison in Silivri praising the outcome and its significance.
“Hungary has chosen hope over fear, democracy over autocracy,” İmamoğlu said in a message shared on his international X account. “Tonight, the Hungarian people reminded Europe, and the world, that no strongman is invincible when citizens refuse to surrender their freedom.”
Hungary has chosen hope over fear, democracy over autocracy.
Tonight, the Hungarian people reminded Europe, and the world, that no strongman is invincible when citizens refuse to surrender their freedom.
From a prison cell in Silivri, I send my warmest congratulations to the…
— Ekrem İmamoğlu (International) (@imamoglu_int) April 12, 2026
With nearly all votes counted, Tisza secured a two-thirds majority with 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament, winning just over 53 percent of the vote, according to official results. Orbán’s Fidesz party won 55 seats with about 38 percent.
“From a prison cell in Silivri, I send my warmest congratulations to the Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar and to every voter who stood in line to defend the rule of law,” he added.
“Your victory belongs to all of us who believe that ballots are stronger than fear, and that justice, however delayed, is never defeated.”
“Istanbul stands with Budapest. The tide is turning,” he said.
İmamoğlu, the presidential candidate of the CHP, has been in pretrial detention since March 2025 in what many say is a politically motivated case aimed at sidelining him ahead of the next presidential election.
He is seen as the most powerful political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Özel, the leader of the CHP, also welcomed the result, saying it showed that “the will of the people is stronger than one-man rule.”
In a post on X, Özel said figures who place themselves above democracy and the rule of law ultimately face defeat, adding that Hungarian voters had demonstrated their desire for change through the ballot box.
He also congratulated Magyar and his Tisza party.
Magyar’s victory was welcomed by European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who described the result as a setback for right-wing populism.
Orbán, who has long described himself as a proponent of “illiberal democracy” and positioned Hungary as a challenger to mainstream EU policies, had enjoyed support from US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The outcome marks a significant political shift in Hungary, where Orbán had been one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders.
Meanwhile, neither President Erdoğan nor the Turkish government had issued an official statement on the Hungarian election as of Monday.
Erdoğan and Orbán have maintained close ties in recent years, building a pragmatic partnership centered on cooperation in migration, energy and regional diplomacy. Despite differences in ideology, both leaders have emphasized their relationship and often aligned on key issues in dealings with the European Union and NATO.