Kuala Lampur, April 13 --  

BUDAPEST, April 13 - Viktor Orban, who has ruled Hungary for 16 years as a self-described "thorn" in the EU's side and a defender of "illiberal democracy", yesterday conceded defeat to conservative Peter Magyar, who won a thumping majority in parliamentary elections.

Orban's defeat, in a vote that saw a record turnout, dealt a heavy blow to nationalists, including US President Donald Trump who supported him.

It also deprives Russian President Vladimir Putin of his most sympathetic ear inside the European Union.

Tens of thousands of jubilant supporters of Magyar's Tisza party cheered the results outside the party's election headquarters on the banks of the Danube in Budapest, waving Hungarian flags...