Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry has expressed hope to deepen engagement with Hungary’s new government, following the central European country’s parliamentary election result on Sunday.

The result marked the end of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule after voters handed victory to the Tisza Party led by Péter Magyar. Orbán’s government had drawn international attention in recent years for cultivating closer ties with China and Russia while frequently clashing with European Union policies.

Speaking at a regular press briefing in Taipei on Tuesday, April 14, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said preliminary results show Magyar’s Tisza Party secured a parliamentary majority of 138 out of 199 seats. Hsiao said the election itself appeared orderly but stressed that the outcome remains subject to final confirmation by Hungarian authorities.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Taiwan maintains contact with both ruling and opposition parties in many countries and expects to continue that practice with Hungary.

He said, “The government of course hopes that, on the basis of the universal values of freedom and democracy, we can further be able to carry out exchanges and cooperation in various fields with Hungary’s new government, and then further promote the deepening of bilateral relations.”