Fidesz, together with its coalition partners, had held the supermajority since 2010. However, during last year's general elections, Fidesz's two-thirds majority was maintained by a single seat in parliament.
After Zoltan Kesz, an independent candidate backed by left-wing parties, won the election in the city of Veszprem (by 42.6 percent to 33.6 percent) on February 22 the balance of power shifted, limiting the ability of Hungary's ruling party to pass legislation. February's election was held after Fidesz's Tibor Navracsics vacated his seat to become the country's European Union commissioner.
Commenting on the election results, Viktor Orban wrote on his Facebook page: "Dear Veszprem supporters and activists! Thank you for your work. We respect the voters' decision but the lesson is that we should not relax."
Despite Fidesz having lost this important advantage, it still remains the most popular party in Hungary according to national opinion polls, and retains a significant majority in the country's parliament. Experts point out that Fidesz's opposition, Hungary's left and liberals, are divided into many different factions and fail to counterbalance the country's ruling party.
The West has recently increased its pressure on Hungary's Prime Minister, criticizing him for his independent political course as well as his cooperation with Russia. EU officials have recently expressed their deep dissatisfaction with a Russo-Hungarian project to design and build two nuclear reactors in the southern city of Paks, citing violations of EU legal provisions. Paks maintains Hungary's only operating nuclear power plant; it accounted for more than 50 percent of Hungary's national energy production in 2013.
