Brussels, 12 Brussels 2010

The leader of Fidesz and Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Viktor Orbán, has scored a landslide result in the first round of parliamentary elections in Hungary. Fidesz received a whopping 53%, an unprecedented result in the history of democratic Hungary. EPP President Wilfried Martens personally congratulated Orbán last night for the result and after the second round in two weeks, he’s set to become EPP’s 14th EU Prime Minister.

“Last night I congratulated my good friend Viktor Orbán for the fantastic result that Fidesz scored in the first round of elections in Hungary. After a long period of bad governance and manipulation by the Socialists, Hungarians have given their full trust to Fidesz and Viktor Orbán. I look forward after the second round of elections to having Orbán join us as the 14th EPP Prime Minister in the EU,” Martens stated.

Orbán, a three-term EPP Vice President, thanked Martens and underlined:

"Hungarians voted for Hungary's future. Today Hungary's citizens have defeated hopelessness.  I feel it with all my nerves and know it deep in my heart that I face the biggest task of my life."

Note to editors

The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 72 member-parties from 39 countries, the Presidents of the Commission, Council, and Parliament, 13 EU and 5 non-EU heads of state and government, 13 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.

For more information

Kostas Sasmatzoglou, EPP Spokesman, Tel. +32-2-285 4147

Javier Jiménez, EPP Press Officer, Tel: +32-475 48044