Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban won 729 votes unopposed to retain party chairmanship as Fidesz transitions to opposition.
11:30 PM
Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was re-elected Saturday as chairman of the Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance party, securing 729 votes with eight abstentions at the party congress in Budapest. He ran unopposed for the leadership position.
The re-election came two months after Fidesz suffered a historic defeat in April parliamentary elections to the centre-right, pro-Western Tisza party led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar. The congress marked Fidesz's first gathering since losing power after 16 years in government.
Party spokesman Bertalan Havasi said Orban was expected to be the only candidate for the leadership post, as no other politicians had emerged who could lead the party out of its current crisis. Gergely Gulyas, head of the party's parliamentary faction and former chief of staff to Orban, stated that "without him, the party cannot maintain its unity."
The party leadership had recommended Orban for re-election. Before the congress began, Orban's associates said only he could ensure Fidesz unity and pull the party out of the political crisis. Orban himself had expressed readiness to remain at the helm "in an era of change," saying Fidesz needs "a complete renewal" and structural reform.
During his address to delegates, Orban said he would "never" surrender and acknowledged that Fidesz must begin a process of recovery and renewal in the coming months. He stated that he bore responsibility for strategic errors, saying "the responsible for the strategic mistakes is me and not others." Orban also admitted that his party "is not yet prepared to be a successful opposition party."
The congress also elected new deputy party leaders and members of the governing council, which will now represent all regions of the country. Delegates decided to restructure Fidesz as part of broader party reforms.
Recent polling presents a difficult outlook for Fidesz. Independent pollsters show that Tisza, led by Magyar, commands nearly triple the support among voters compared to Fidesz, marking a significant shift in Hungarian politics. Fidesz has been losing support since its April defeat.
Orban's political future had been questioned after the election loss, as he faced pressure from some former loyalists to step aside from politics. This marked the first such criticism directed at him since he swept to power in 2010.
Centre-right leader Magyar took office Saturday after his Tisza party won a landslide victory in April elections, securing 141 of 199 parliamentary seats.
Péter Magyar, who ended Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule, met the president and urged an early parliamentary session on May 4 to formalize the transition.
Ethiopia votes Monday to elect parliament members who will select the next prime minister, with over 50 million registered voters and 47 parties competing.
Parliament voted 281-4 to remove Bolojan after the Social Democrats left the coalition and joined the far-right opposition.
Silina stepped down Thursday after her coalition lost its parliamentary majority when the Progressive party withdrew support over her firing of Defence Minister Andris Spruds.
The conservative PP won 41.6 percent in Sunday's Andalusia election but lost its absolute majority, while the Socialist party achieved one of its worst results.
