Tisza Party sweeps new county, takes another seat away from Fidesz

Hungary’s opposition Tisza Party has secured a clean sweep in Tolna county, overturning earlier results and defeating Fidesz–KDNP candidates in all three constituencies after the final votes were counted.

The most dramatic shift came in the Dombóvár constituency, where Tisza candidate Gábor Szijjártó ultimately defeated Fidesz’s Krisztina Csibi, according to Telex. With 100% of votes processed, Szijjártó won 46.58% to Csibi’s 45.07%, marking a narrow but decisive victory.

Late votes prove decisive in Dombóvár

The result represents a significant reversal. On election night, Csibi was leading by 422 votes, but nearly 2,000 votes cast by voters registered outside their home districts and at foreign missions had yet to be counted.

When these ballots were finally processed, the race flipped: Szijjártó secured a 653-vote lead, turning an apparent loss into a win.

This late swing underscores the growing importance of absentee and overseas voting in Hungarian elections—particularly in tightly contested constituencies.

Paks result also overturned

Dombóvár was not the only constituency where delayed counting changed the outcome. In the nearby Paks district, a similarly tight race saw a reversal in favour of the Tisza Party, 444.hu reported.

Fidesz candidate János Süli had initially led by just 138 votes. However, after more than 2,000 additional ballots were counted, Tisza’s Tamás Cseh surged ahead, transforming his deficit into an 893-vote victory.

These two late turnarounds show how marginal leads on election night can quickly evaporate once all votes are included.

National picture: Tisza dominance grows

With the Tolna results finalised, the Tisza Party has further strengthened its already commanding national position. The party now held 139 parliamentary seats, including 95 individual constituencies and 44 list mandates, after finalising Tolna’s results, which turned into 140 shortly after 9 PM on Friday, after overturning the Nyírbátor district, Telex reported.

By contrast, Fidesz–KDNP’s parliamentary group has shrunk to just 53 seats, while Mi Hazánk retains its six list mandates.

Elsewhere, the opposition also made gains. In Baranya county, Tisza candidate Áron Rózsahegyi expanded his lead over Fidesz’s János Hargitai, ultimately winning with 48.43% of the vote. In another notable upset, former minister Tibor Navracsics lost his constituency in Veszprém county.

A symbolic shift in former Fidesz stronghold

The Tolna sweep carries symbolic weight. Just four years ago, the Dombóvár constituency was a Fidesz stronghold, with the late Árpád János Potápi winning over 62% of the vote in his seventh consecutive victory.

Even after his death, Fidesz retained the seat comfortably in a 2025 by-election: at a time when the Tisza Party did not field a candidate.

Therefore, the latest results mark a striking political realignment in the region and reinforce the scale of Tisza’s nationwide victory.

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