Residents in the Hungarian capital Budapest have described the outcome of Sunday's historic election as an "emotional night" after the country's opposition party Tisza secured a victory to bring an end to Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16 years in power.
Led by Peter Magyar, the Tisza party was projected to win 138 of the 199 available parliament seats as the final vote tally was being counted on Sunday evening, exceeding a two-thirds majority and delivering a defeat to Orban's ruling coalition.
Addressing supporters in the center of Budapest, the 45-year-old Magyar hailed his party's "decisive victory," saying it was a win seen "from every Hungarian window" and vowed that Hungary will once again be a strong ally in the European Union (EU) and NATO.
Preliminary statistics showed that turnout reached about 77.8 percent among the roughly 8.1 million eligible voters, marking a record high.
As celebrations took place on the streets of Budapest, supporters of Magyar's Tisza party spoke of the significance of the vote.
"People have shown that they have the power," said Attila, a local resident.
"It's unbelievable," said another local named Karla.
"It's an emotional night," said Balint, another Budapest resident.
Orban conceded defeat on Sunday evening, describing the result as "painful but unambiguous" for the ruling Fidesz-KDNP alliance, while extending his congratulations to Magyar's Tisza party.
The victory for the center-right Tisza party signals the imminent end of Orban's 16 consecutive years in charge of Hungary. Orban served as prime minister from 1998 to 2002 and has remained in office since returning to power in 2010.
During the campaign, Magyar's Tisza party focused on anti-corruption and institutional reform, calling for the restoration of the rule of law and transparent governance. It also advocated repairing relations with the EU and urged Hungarians to unite in building a sovereign, civic, modern and European Hungary.
Hungarians hail "emotional night" as Tisza party wins parliamentary elections
