Viktor Orbán re-elected as head of Fidesz after election defeat

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was re-elected as head of the Fidesz party on Saturday. The party lost the parliamentary elections in April.

Orbán received 729 votes from delegates attending the party congress, while eight abstained. After the results were announced, he thanked them for their trust.

Speaking at the congress in Budapest, Orbán said he would never give up and that although Fidesz is currently not a successful party, it needs to recover and renew itself in the coming months.

Orbán took strategic responsibility for the election defeat and stated that he wants to hand over Fidesz to the younger generation as a party with real chances of winning.

He also said he has no desire to change, will not engage in half-measures or complete U-turns, and will not participate in any processes involving switching from one party to another.

Earlier, media reported that the MAGA wing of the US Republican Party is considering a scenario where Orbán would receive a UN position to protect him from prosecution at home. Hungarian investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi claimed in April that Orbán is preparing a safe haven in the US in case he faces justice in Hungary.