Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is stepping down after his party’s landslide election defeat earlier this month, said on Saturday that he is giving up his seat in Hungary’s parliament but intends to remain leader of the Fidesz party.
In a video posted on Facebook, Orbán said the decision followed a Fidesz meeting during which party leaders agreed to carry out a major restructuring of the parliamentary faction after the heavy election loss. He said he would seek reelection as party leader in a vote scheduled for June.
In the April 12 parliamentary election, Péter Magyar’s Tisza party won 141 seats out of 199 in the Hungarian national assembly, while Orbán’s Fidesz party came in a distant second with just 52 seats.
Orbán said Gergely Gulyás will head the Fidesz parliamentary faction.
Magyar is expected to be installed as prime minister by parliament in early May.