Voting stations in Hungary closed at 7 PM for the parliamentary elections. According to the national election board, the voter turnout measured throughout the day was higher than those from the last four elections and might set new record levels. By 6:30 PM, 77.8 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots, compared to 73.51 percent at the same time in 2022.
Initial partial results are expected later this evening. Unlike in Germany, there are no post-election polls conducted. However, a poll from the 21 Research Center for Telex, published after the polls closed and conducted between April 8th and 11th, suggests the party Tisza is in the lead. This party, associated with Péter Magyar, may be able to secure 132 out of the 199 seats in the National Assembly, which would represent a clear majority-a position the party has not held in parliament before.
The party Fidesz, led by the incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which won 135 seats in the last election in partnership with the government ally KDNP, is expected to lose significantly, dropping to 61 deputies. The Mi Hazánk Mozgalom party is projected to gain 5 seats, while Nemzetiségi képviselö anticipates one representative. The Demokratikus Koalíció and the Magyar Szocialista Párt face uncertainty regarding their ability to enter parliament.
A separate poll by the Median Institute, conducted in the five days leading up to the election, also showed Tisza leading comfortably. According to this survey, the party could receive 55.5 percent of the list votes, while Fidesz might receive 37.9 percent.
A reliable trend regarding the final standings is likely only observable hours after the polling stations close. This complexity is partly due to the electoral system that Orbán has changed since 2011. Out of the 199 mandates, 106 are awarded based on the first vote in single-member constituencies with a simple majority. For the remaining 93 mandates, all votes are considered alongside the second vote, including votes cast for losing direct candidates and any excess votes received by the constituency winners over the respective second-place contenders.
Furthermore, since 2022, a regulation has been in place-criticized as “electoral tourism”-which means citizens no longer need to actually reside at the address where their registration is recorded. In 2024, the number of seats allocated to Budapest was reduced, and instead, the allocation for the county surrounding the capital, Pest, was increased. Finally, the ceiling on election campaign costs was abolished in 2025.