The worsening economic situation in Hungary, linked to the conflict in Ukraine and EU sanctions against Russia, was a key factor in the defeat of the ruling Fidesz party in the parliamentary elections, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in an interview on host László Pitinger's YouTube channel titled “Last Day in Office“.
“If it hadn't been for the conflict and the negative reaction from Brussels, if economic growth hadn't slowed down because of it and if we had managed to achieve economic growth of 2-3%, we could have won the elections, but that didn't happen. "The growth has only become visible now, in this quarter," Orban said.
The prime minister, leaving office after 16 years of continuous leadership, noted that under different macroeconomic conditions, the outcome of the vote could have been different.
Hungary's state budget deficit in 2026 will be 6.8% of GDP instead of the planned 3.9%, announced in early May Péter Magyar, the country's future prime minister and leader of the "Tisa" party that won the elections.
According to him, Viktor Orban's outgoing government has sharply increased spending and intends to "completely empty the state treasury."
Gergely Gulyás, the prime minister's chief of staff, denied the accusations, saying that after the April elections the authorities had suspended new spending and were using funds only for the provision of basic services.
Hungarian party “Tisza“ won the parliamentary elections on April 12, securing 141 out of 199 seats. Orban conceded defeat and announced his resignation.
Following Tisza's victory, the European Commission agreed to release 35 billion euros of previously frozen EU funds to Hungary.
Magyar will take office as prime minister on May 9. He previously accused businessmen linked to Orban's government of transferring assets.