Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he respects the decision of Hungarian citizens after the parliamentary elections.
He expressed readiness for “intensive cooperation“ with the new Hungarian Prime Minister, whom he congratulated on the result.
Fico thanked Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Facebook for the cooperation. “I would like to express my gratitude to the outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Orban for the years of excellent cooperation. In an atmosphere of mutual respect, we invested enormous energy in developing high-quality Slovak-Hungarian relations, which have never been at such a high level as during this period. His actions in defense of sovereignty and national interests were and will always be an excellent example for me“, he wrote.
98.9% of the votes have been counted in Hungary. According to updated data, the opposition party “Tisza“ has won 138 seats in parliament, giving it a constitutional majority, while the ruling Fidesz-KDNP alliance has only 55 seats. The “Our Country“ party won another six seats. Hungary's National Assembly (unicameral parliament) has 199 seats.
Orbán admitted defeat and promised “not to give up“. “Tisza“ leader Péter Magyar urged the prime minister not to make decisions that could hinder the party's future.
Hungary and Slovakia have often followed similar lines in foreign policy under the governments of Orbán and Fico. This was especially true on Ukraine and energy supplies. Following the defeat of the Fidesz-KDNP alliance, Ljuboš Blaha, deputy chairman of Slovakia's ruling Smer party, called the result of the Hungarian parliamentary election a "black day" for the country and all of Europe.