Orban to leave parliament following election defeat

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Saturday that he will return his parliamentary mandate, ending a 36-year tenure as a member of parliament since 1990, following his party's defeat in the April 12 parliamentary elections, reported Xinhua.

In a video message posted on social media after a meeting of the ruling Fidesz leadership, Orban said his role would shift from parliamentary work to reorganizing the "national side".

He added that the party's parliamentary group will undergo a "fundamental transformation," and confirmed that Gergely Gulyas will lead the new faction, set to be formed on Monday.

Orban said the mandate he obtained as the joint list leader of the Fidesz-the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) alliance would be handed back, arguing that his efforts are now needed outside parliament to rebuild the political community.

He also announced that the party will convene a national assembly next week and bring forward its leadership congress to June.

Reflecting on his nearly four decades at the helm of the political community, Orban said the group had experienced both successes and setbacks but remained "Hungary's most united and cohesive political force." The Fidesz leadership has proposed that he continue as party president, subject to approval at the upcoming congress.

The inaugural session of the new parliament will be held on May 9.