Orbán says he "feels pain" after parliamentary election defeat, but will remain in politics

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán confirmed that he will continue to lead the Fidesz party in opposition after the political force's unsuccessful parliamentary elections.

He said this in an interview with the Hungarian publication Patrióta, Politico writes.

Orbán said that he takes full responsibility for the election results and admitted that the party could not find an effective way to communicate with voters.

"I am the leader of the party, and I take 100% responsibility for the result. I must admit that the words of my opponent were stronger," Orbán said.

The politician also noted that after the defeat he feels "pain and emptiness" and compensates for stress by increasing his workload, calling it a kind of "therapy".

Despite the election results, Orbán stressed that he does not plan to leave the party leadership. He added that Fidesz may undergo a "complete reset", which will concern the work of the leadership and parliamentary representation.

The party leadership meeting is scheduled for April 28. Orbán also said that he is ready to obey the decision of his associates regarding his role.

"If my associates tell me to "sit on the bench" - I will do so. But if they tell me to "take the team onto the field" as captain - I will be there", he said.

Recall, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulated the leader of the "Tysa" party, Peter Magyar, on his victory in the parliamentary elections in Hungary and declared his readiness to develop cooperation between the countries.