Peter Magyar to become Hungary PM, ending Viktor Orban’s 16-yr rule
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Budapest: Hungary’s incoming Prime Minister Peter Magyar arrived at Parliament on Saturday ahead of his swearing-in ceremony, marking the end of Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule.
Magyar’s centre-right Tisza Party secured a decisive victory in last month’s election, defeating Orban’s nationalist-populist Fidesz party and emerging with more votes and parliamentary seats than any political force in Hungary’s post-Communist history.
The result gives Tisza 141 seats in the 199-member Parliament, while Fidesz-KDNP will hold 52 seats, down sharply from 135. The far-right Mi Hazank (Our Homeland) party has secured six seats. Orban, for the first time since Hungary’s first post-Communist Parliament was formed in 1990, will not attend the inaugural session. Following his defeat, he said he would focus on rebuilding his nationalist-populist political base.
Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer and former insider in Orban’s party who founded Tisza in 2024, has pledged to tackle systemic corruption and restore economic opportunity for Hungarians. He has called on citizens to join a “regime-change” celebration outside Parliament to mark the transition of power. After taking his oath around 3 pm local time, he is expected to address supporters gathered outside the Parliament building.
The new prime minister has also vowed to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the European Union, which deteriorated under Orban’s leadership amid repeated disputes over rule of law and governance. Restoring access to approximately 17 billion euros (USD 20 billion) in frozen EU funds is among Magyar’s top priorities, as the country’s economy has stagnated over the past four years.
In a symbolic shift, Tisza officials have announced plans to restore the European Union flag on the Parliament building’s façade, which had been removed in 2014 under Orban’s government.
Meanwhile, Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony has invited citizens to a public gathering along the Danube River to mark the political transition. In a social media post, he described the event as a tribute to those who opposed Orban’s rule, including teachers, journalists, and civil activists, and called it a moment to reflect on what he termed years of political repression before “closing this era.”
The celebrations in Budapest are expected to continue after Magyar formally takes office, signalling a major political shift in Hungary.
With PTI inputs