Orban to step down from parliament, but seeks to remain Fidesz leader
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Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on April 25 that he will step down from parliament, while signaling he intends to remain head of the ruling Fidesz if the party re-elects him at its upcoming congress.
Orban said the decision followed a meeting of Fidesz's presidium, where party leaders agreed to carry out a major restructuring of the parliamentary faction after the recent election defeat.
He said the parliamentary mandate he received as leader of the party "belongs to Fidesz" and should now be returned, arguing his role is needed instead to reorganize what he called the party's national movement.
"Right now, I am not needed in Parliament, but in the reorganization of the national camp," Orban said in a Facebook video.
Orban added that a nationwide party meeting will take place next week, while the leadership congress has been delayed until June, when delegates are expected to decide whether he remains party chairman.
Magyar's Tisza party secured a resounding victory over Orban's Fidesz in the parliamentary elections on April 12, ending Orban's 16-year-long grip on power.
Voter turnout hit historic levels as Hungarians cast their ballots on April 12. The parliamentary election saw more voters take to the polls than in any previous national parliamentary vote.
Tisza has criticized the Fidesz government's tilt toward Russia and pledged to repair relations with European partners. The high-stakes election could shape Hungary's future relationship with the European Union and Russia.
