Our live coverage has ended - you can read more about Hungary's election here
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has conceded defeat after 16 years in power, with the opposition securing a landslide election win
Péter Magyar, a former Orbán ally who became his fiercest critic, swept to victory promising closer ties to the EU, and his win opens the door to more European support for Ukraine
With more than 98% of the votes counted, Magyar's party Tisza is set to win a massive majority in parliament - this is an astonishing achievement, our central Europe correspondent writes
Record numbers turned out for an election which was seen as pivotal to the future of Hungary and Europe - our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg says Orbán's defeat is a blow to Vladimir Putin
Magyar is on course for a two-thirds majority - that means the new government will be able to reverse Orbán's reforms, writes our Europe digital editor
Rita Palfi
BBC World Service, in Budapest
More than 90,000 Hungarians voted abroad and around 224,000 voted somewhere other than their official address.
These votes will be counted in the coming days.
They would only be crucial when the race is close - but, according to the preliminary results, this won’t be the case this time.
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Budapest
Hungary has felt like two different worlds for months.
In one world there was a prime minister who convinced his supporters and those watching pro-government TV channels that they were on their way to victory and another four years in power.
In the other world was Péter Magyar, who was crisscrossing Hungary's towns and cities, attracting big crowds wherever he went.
Respected pollsters were making clear that Orbán's support was draining away.
It has been draining away ever since Magyar left the ruling party and created a movement that attracted a cross-section of support from opposition parties and disillusioned Orbán voters alike.
Suddenly those two worlds have collided, and only one was real.
The reality is that Orbán's era is over and it appears that Magyar could be on course for a two-thirds majority to start putting it into reverse.
Watch: The moment Viktor Orbán concedes the Hungarian election
Orbán has told supporters that their task is clear: "We don't have the weight of governing the country so we have to rebuild our communities."
He thanked the two and a half million voters who have voted for his Fidesz party so far and promised they would never be let down.
He goes on: "We never give up, this is one thing people know about us, we never give up. The days ahead of us are for us to heal our wounds."
Votes are still being counted but with around 60% done so far, opposition leader Péter Magyar is on course to win a two-thirds majority in parliament, a landslide.
Image source, Reuters
Image source, ReutersViktor Orbán has conceded in a speech to supporters, telling them: "The result of the election is clear and painful."
We will have more on this soon.
Opposition leader Péter Magyar says he's had a call from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in which he conceded.
His man rival Péter Magyar wrote on Facebook: "Viktor Orbán just called me on the phone and congratulated us on our victory."
It would mean an end to 16 years of Orbán rule.
Rajini Vaidyanathan
BBC presenter, in Budapest
Esther with her mum Gabi
Supporters of opposition candidate Péter Magyar are already excited, even though we still don’t know for sure whether he’ll be the country’s next prime minister.
"I’m getting goosebumps,” Esther tells me, as she walks along the banks of the river with her mum Gabi.
She lives in the Netherlands now but made a special visit home to cast a vote for the Tisza party.
She told me she felt incumbent Viktor Orban, who’s close to presidents Putin and Trump, was damaging Hungary’s perception in the world and that was a reason for change.
Ábel Katona is just 18, this is his first election. He tells me most of his friends turned out to vote.
He says Hungary’s relationship with Russia was a pivotal issue for him. “I want us to be friends with the EU,” he tells me.
Nick Thorpe
Central Europe correspondent, in Budapest
Just 21.5% of the vote has been counted so far, but as it stands, the far-right Our Homeland party is hovering close to the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament.
It looks set to be the only minor party in contention for a seat, though it massively trails the two main parties.
The race between Fidesz and Tisza looks close, with only 3 or 4% dividing them - Fidesz leading in some places, Tisza in others.
The count has been fastest in mostly western Hungarian districts.
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Budapest
Polls closed more than an hour and a half ago in most places and results have started to trickle in.
It's far too early to make any assessment but we're now at 21.54% of the vote and so far Tisza is ahead in 92 constituencies, while Fidesz is in the lead in 13 constituencies.
Earlier, we explained that Hungarians voting in Hungary have two votes - and that second count isn't as far advanced as the seats.
In other words, it's still very early to draw any conclusions.
Another point to make is that the big cities take longer to report their results, while the smaller towns and villages where Fidesz is strongest tend to be quicker.
Natalia Zotova
BBC News Russian
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/ShutterstockOrbán and Putin following talks in Moscow in July 2024
Moscow’s interest in the Hungarian elections has been evident, with Viktor Orbán the only EU leader who systematically blocks sanctions and military aid to Ukraine, as well as supports gas deals with Russia.
Before the elections, Bloomberg published a transcript of a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Orbán from October 2025.
In it, Orbán reportedly compared himself to a mouse that saves a lion, after which the lion does not kill it.
Orbán also reportedly assured Putin that on any issue where he could be useful “I am at your service”.
That publication did not trouble the Kremlin in the slightest, which said it “shows Orbán from a very pragmatic and effective point of view”, someone who “defends the interests of his country”.
Katya Adler
BBC Europe editor, in Budapest
One of the main election posters put up by Fidesz, Viktor Orbán’s party, throughout the campaign sported two black and white mugshots featuring Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Hungary’s leading opposition figure Péter Magyar.
“Let’s stop them!” reads the slogan. I’ve covered many elections here, and Orbán loves to select an enemy he promises to protect voters from.
In the past, it’s been migrants, the EU, the political left. This year it was the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
Orbán tells Hungarians the opposition would open the floodgates to the war over the border, putting lives at home at risk.
But will it have been eneough to persuade voters to flock to him?
People we’ve spoken to are generally concerned about the poor state of Hungary's economy - the rising inflation and dwindling standards of living suffered in recent years.
Rita Palfi
BBC World Service, in Budapest
One of the key polls we've reported on this evening, by respected pollster Median, asked Hungarians who they backed four years ago in the days leading up to today's vote and the answers are intriguing.
Opposition party Tisza won the support of 62% of Hungarians who either did not vote or were not old enough to in 2022, while Fidesz secured the backing of just 16% of these two groups, Median suggests.
The pollster also says Tisza managed to lure 9% of Fidesz voters as well as 91% of pro-opposition voters from 2022.
Meanwhile, Median's poll says Fidesz maintained the support of 79% of its 2022 electorate.
But remember, this is just one opinion poll and there is no reliable exit poll. We won't know where this election is heading until we start to get results.
Rajini Vaidyanathan
BBC presenter, in Budapest
Image source, ReutersLarge screens have been put up on the banks of the Danube here in Budapest, close to the National Assembly parliament building.
Péter Magyar appeared on those screens to deliver his supporters a message, saying: "We are optimistic but cautious."
He said his campaign chief would update everyone in 45 minutes time, but suggested this would be a good night for his Tisza party.
The only poll that really matters, he said, is the final tally when votes are counted.
But celebrations have already started and we could hear champagne corks popping.
It's still too early, perhaps - but is this a sign the Orbán years might be coming to a close?
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Budapest
The two opinion polls we've reported so far pointing to a Magyar victory are both well respected and have a good record in Hungarian elections, both Median and 21 Research Centre.
But there are other pollsters - and Alapjogokért has published its research this evening suggesting Orbán is heading for victory rather than his rival.
Until we have results to go from, we can only report what we see.
According to the Alapjogokért poll, the ruling Fidesz party is on course for 44.5% of the vote and Tisza 42%.
Take this poll with a dose of scepticism, and we expect the first results to emerge in the coming hour.
Zsofia Paulikovics
BBC World Service
Péter Magyar is still speaking at a press conference. He thanks everyone who helped counter what he calls election fraud, and says you can see from the data that buying votes has been less successful than in elections in 2022 and 2018.
The challenger says Fidesz have claimed there will be violent agitation later on in the day, which he dismisses as “an hallucination”.
He asks everyone to be peaceful, patient, and prepare for celebrations later on.
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor in Budapest
Just a note of caution about the two opinion polls that have just come out.
As we've reported, they are not exit polls and they were not conducted among Hungarians who had yet voted, but up to and including yesterday.
And it is also worth pointing out that previous polls by the same pollsters, Median and 21 Research Centre, also suggested a big margin of victory for Péter Magyar.
So while Magyar is currently talking about history being written - we need to wait for the results to give us a sense of what Hungarians have actually voted for since 06:00 (05:00 BST) this morning.
Zsofia Paulikovics
BBC World Service
Image source, ReutersPéter Magyar, who is seeking to replace Viktor Orbán as prime minister, is now holding a press conference on what he calls a "historic day".
He thanks all voters for turning out in record numbers and recognising the importance of the election.
Magyar says he is "optimistic but cautious" after some opinion polls pointed to him winning.
Péter Magyar is speaking now for the first time since polls closed - we'll bring you more soon.
Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor, in Budapest
Two opinion polls have just been published to mark the end of voting and both give opposition party Tisza a big victory, which would see Péter Magyar oust Viktor Orbán.
The Median poll has put Magyar's party on 57.1% of the vote. It suggests that would give Tisza 135 seats, just over the 133 it needs for a two-thirds majority, while a 21 Research Centre poll gives Magyar 55% and 132 seats.
Median suggests Orbán's party is heading for 37.1% of the vote, and 21 Research Centre gives Fidesz 38%.
These are only opinion polls - Median says its survey was conducted from 7-11 April, while 21 Research Centre says its poll was taken between 8-11 April.
These are not in any sense exit polls - but if confirmed, it means Orbán would be out of office after 16 years.
Rita Palfi
BBC World Service, Budapest
Across Hungary, polling stations are due to close now. We won't know any results for a while and there's no exit poll in this election.
But some of the polling stations won't close their doors immediately. They will remain open until everyone queuing up to vote at that time has had a chance to cast their ballot in this highly significant election.
We already know there's been a record turnout - the latest figure from half an hour ago was 77.8% - well above the previous record in 2002 of 73.51%.
The reason behind the long queues is partly due to the high turnout but also, under Hungarian electoral law, voters can choose to go to polling stations in other cities and vote for candidates in their hometown.
That means thousands of extra voters have been turning up at polling stations particularly in big cities such as Budapest.
Joe Coughlan
Live reporter
If you're just joining our coverage, we've had analysis and reporting from Hungary throughout the day. Here's what you need to know: