Péter Magyar's Tisza party won a landslide victory in Hungary's election on Sunday, securing a supermajority, or two-thirds majority, in parliament. The party had led in opinion polls ahead of the election with a significant margin over the ruling Fidesz party. This result ends Viktor Orbán's 16-year tenure as prime minister, marking a dramatic political shift in the Central European nation.
Viktor Orbán congratulated Péter Magyar and Tisza on their election victory. Péter Magyar has called for a swift transfer of power, with the new government expected to assume power in early May. He has also called on key state figures, including President Tamás Sulyok, to resign or face removal.
We are going to achieve such a victory that will surprise everyone, perhaps even ourselves.
In media reforms, Péter Magyar plans to suspend news programming on Hungary's public broadcaster until independent, objective conditions are established. He has pledged to crack down on corruption and rebuild Hungary's relationships with the European Union. Additionally, he has said Hungary will join the European Public Prosecutor's Office.
On energy and foreign policy, Péter Magyar has promised to phase out Russian energy imports by 2035, while the EU aims to end all Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027. He has said he is ready to support the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine as long as Hungary does not take part, similar to terms agreed by Orbán. However, he has expressed lukewarm support for Ukraine's EU accession, saying it is not in the next ten years, and hopes sanctions on Russia will be lifted soon after aggression ends.
Our independent institutions have been captured over the past 16 years.
Hungary's economy has been struggling, with high inflation and a weak forint affecting voters. Billions of euros in EU funding for Hungary have been frozen over rule of law concerns.
A pedophile pardon scandal in early 2024, involving key Fidesz figures, shook the party and contributed to voter discontent. Under Viktor Orbán, Hungary has fallen in press freedom rankings, with 80% of media categorized as pro-government by Reporters Without Borders. Independent media like Telex, 444, and Partizan have grown under Orbán, with Partizan becoming a major independent TV channel on YouTube.
A simple change of government is not enough to solve these problems; a change of regime is needed, because an organised criminal group is effectively running our country.
The European Parliament has termed Hungary under Orbán a hybrid regime of electoral autocracy. There is an internal EU Commission investigation into EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi over his alleged role in a spying scandal involving Hungarian nationals at EU institutions.
Viktor Orbán has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been seen as a Russian ally in Europe. He is highly valued by US President Donald Trump, who called on Hungarians to vote for him. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly spoke to his Russian counterpart before and after EU summits, which he has admitted.
I understand the moral issues ... but let's not shoot ourselves in the leg.
Péter Magyar was a former member of Fidesz and served as a diplomat in Brussels from 2011 to 2015. His rise in politics was linked to an interview with online channel Partizán in 2024 after the pedophile pardon scandal. He is described as a national conservative and a member of the centre-right European People's Party.
Péter Magyar has vowed to create separate ministries for health, environmental protection, and education that did not exist under Orbán. The Tisza party has promised to crack down on polluting industries, explicitly targeting battery factories.
We will bring home the EU funds that are due to the Hungarian people.
Finnish politicians, including President Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, congratulated Péter Magyar on his victory. Former European Council President Charles Michel said the victory is a very important moment for the EU and Hungary.
Contradictions exist in Péter Magyar's stance on Ukraine and Russia. He has expressed lukewarm support for Ukraine's EU accession and hopes sanctions on Russia will be lifted soon, raising concerns among Kyiv's staunchest supporters. However, his victory is seen as a benefit for Ukraine, as he is expected to unblock EU aid and end Orbán's pro-Russian policies, highlighting uncertainty about how much his policies will actually shift from Orbán's pro-Russian stance, affecting EU unity and support for Ukraine. On energy, Péter Magyar has pledged to end Hungary's reliance on Russian energy by 2035, while the EU aims to end all Russian oil and gas by the end of 2027, showing a potential conflict between Magyar's energy policy and EU goals, which could lead to tensions in future negotiations.
One of the key elements of our programme is that this factory of lies will come to an end once the Tisza government is formed.
Key unknowns remain about the new government's plans. It is unclear what specific constitutional changes Péter Magyar's government will implement with its supermajority, or how quickly he will lift Hungary's veto on the €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine. The fate of EU Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi and other Orbán allies in Brussels under the new government has not been detailed. How Péter Magyar will balance his national conservative agenda with EU expectations on rule of law and democracy is also uncertain, as are the immediate economic measures to address Hungary's struggling economy and unlock frozen EU funds.
Péter Magyar has been vocal about the need for change, stating that independent institutions have been captured over the past 16 years. He emphasized that a simple change of government is not enough to solve these problems; a change of regime is needed, because an organised criminal group is effectively running the country. On economic issues, he noted that he understands the moral issues but urged not to shoot ourselves in the leg, and pledged to bring home the EU funds that are due to the Hungarian people. Regarding state figures, he said he repeated to him that he is unworthy of embodying the unity of the Hungarian nation, and unfit to be the guardian of the law. Péter Magyar described ending what he called a factory of lies once his government is formed. He described the need for a public service media that broadcasts the truth. The Tisza party stated that investments cannot endanger people's health and the competitiveness of the country cannot be built on the environment. Donald Trump described the new leader as likely to do a good job. Viktor Orbán had earlier predicted that they are going to achieve such a victory that will surprise everyone, perhaps even themselves.
I repeated to him that he is unworthy of embodying the unity of the Hungarian nation, and unfit to be the guardian of the law.
Every Hungary deserves a public service media that broadcasts the truth.
Investments cannot endanger people's health and the competitiveness of the country cannot be built on the environment.
Jag kommer att vara stark och tuff när det gäller Ungerns intressen. Men öppen och ärlig. Vi kommer att vara konstruktiva.