End of the Orban Era: The Party Is Just Starting for Hungarians

In the end, the biggest surprise wasn’t just how resoundingly Viktor Orban was ejected from power but how swiftly the Hungarian prime minister conceded the termination of his 16-year reign.

As the sun set over the Danube on Sunday, with polls closed at 7 p.m., an eerie quiet had descended on Budapest. Two hours later, it gave way to an eruption of jubilation — honking cars, cheering in the streets and fireworks over the river — as results began to trickle in and rapidly pointed to a landslide.