After 16 years in power, Viktor Orbán is defeated in Hungary, but experts believe nationalist and conservative parties continue to grow across several European countries, driven by political, economic, and migration-related crises.
Since the pandemic, the growth of right-wing parties and movements has been observed across Europe, both in traditionally conservative countries such as Hungary — governed for 16 consecutive years, since 2010, by Viktor Orbán — and in nations considered democratically stable, such as Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, and the United Kingdom. Given this scenario, experts debate whether this rise represents a consolidated trend or a temporary movement influenced by recent crises and local political dynamics.
Could Orbán’s fall indicate weakening support for the far right?
With Orbán’s defeat in the April 12, 2026 elections, questions arise: is the advance of the far right coming to an end, or is this merely an isolated case while these ideas continue gaining strength elsewhere in Europe?
Will parties aligned with the conservative and nationalist ideology defended by Orbán continue to grow politically, or could the Hungarian leader’s defeat mark the beginning of a weakening of the far right in Europe? Political scientists are assessing whether the election result represents a symbolic turning point for the movement or simply an exception within a political landscape still favorable to the radical right.
According to political scientist Mario Chico, Orbán’s defeat sends a warning sign to the European right, but it is still too early to claim that the result represents a definitive turning point. In the expert’s view — and considering the continued growth of nationalist parties across Europe — there are reasons for caution before declaring a broader weakening of the far right on the continent.
However, even if Orbán’s defeat was a historic and symbolic milestone, the European political landscape still shows that issues such as nationalism and conservatism continue gaining strength and mobilizing a large portion of voters, especially during periods of economic crisis and social insecurity.
Even after the Hungarian prime minister’s defeat, parties and movements aligned with conservative nationalism continue to gain ground in several countries, such as Chega in Portugal, Alternative für Deutschland in Germany, and Rassemblement National in France.
Factors THAT explain the Hungarian leader’s decline
The political scientist also highlights the need to consider both internal and external factors in order to understand Orbán’s defeat. According to him, the result cannot be interpreted solely as a rejection of the more radical ideas defended by Orbán. Elements such as the prime minister’s closeness to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, as well as the repercussions of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, played an important role in the political climate.
In addition, corruption allegations and scandals involving Orbán’s government also contributed to the erosion of his public image among voters. This reinforces the idea that the prime minister’s defeat cannot be interpreted only as an ideological rejection, but also as the consequence of accumulated economic, diplomatic, and institutional factors over the years.
In this sense, Orbán’s defeat appears to be less related to the end of his ideology and radical conservative ideas, and more connected to the political exhaustion of his specific leadership within Hungary.
What may define the future of the far right
For Mario Chico, what will determine whether Orbán’s defeat represents a broader weakening of the far right or merely an isolated episode will be the results of upcoming elections throughout the year. Among the factors considered decisive are a possible defeat for Trump in the United States midterm elections and a sequence of victories by more moderate candidates across European countries.
According to the expert, the case of Portugal illustrates this political complexity. Despite the growing conservative influence and the rise of Chega, the country elected a president linked to the Socialist Party, demonstrating that the strengthening of the far right does not occur uniformly across Europe.
A still undefined scenario
Despite Orbán’s defeat representing an important moment for European politics, the expert believes it is still too early to say that the far right has entered into decline on the continent. The strengthening of nationalist and conservative parties in different countries shows that these political currents continue finding support amid the economic, migration, and geopolitical crises faced by Europe in recent years.
In this sense, the next electoral cycles will be decisive in indicating whether Orbán’s defeat marks the beginning of a significant shift in the European political landscape or merely an isolated episode within an ongoing wave of radical right-wing advances across the continent.
More than ending years of a conservative political cycle, Orbán’s defeat opens a new chapter in the ideological dispute taking place in Europe. The advance or weakening of the far right will depend on these movements’ ability to respond to the economic, social, and migration-related crises that continue affecting the continent.
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The article above was edited by Ana Rita Rodrigues Fernandes.
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