Péter Magyar and his Tisza party secured a landslide victory in Hungary's parliamentary elections on Sunday, effectively ending the 16-year era of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. With 99% of the votes counted, the Tisza party is on track to take a two-thirds majority of 138 seats in the 199-seat Hungarian Parliament, according to data from the National Election Commission.
Magyar, a 45-year-old jurist who was largely unknown until 2024, campaigned on a platform of anti-corruption and economic reform. His victory comes after a period of intense political upheaval, including his departure from the ruling Fidesz party in February 2024 following a scandal involving a pardon for a convict involved in pedophilia crimes.
Speaking to thousands of supporters in central Budapest, the incoming Prime Minister vowed to restore Hungary's place in the international community. "Hungary will once again be a strong ally representing Hungarian interests, because our country's place is in Europe," Magyar said.
Magyar announced that his first foreign diplomatic efforts will focus on Warsaw and Vienna. He also plans a visit to Brussels to lobby for the release of billions of euros in frozen EU funds. "We will bring home the EU funds that are due to the Hungarian people," he promised.
A mandate for institutional overhaul
The incoming leader has demanded an immediate purge of officials he considers remnants of the previous administration. Magyar called on President Tamás Sulyok to resign immediately after requesting that the President ask the winner to form a government. He extended this demand to several other state leaders appointed during Orbán's tenure.
"I call on the President of the Republic to immediately ask the winner to form a government and then leave office. I call on all the puppets who have been in power for the past 16 years to do the same," Magyar stated. He specifically targeted the heads of the Curia, the Judicial Office, the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, the State Audit Office, the Economic Competition Authority, and the media authority.
"Let them leave, leave. Don't wait until we send them away," he added.
To ensure democratic stability, Magyar pledged to rejoin the European Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate complex financial crimes. He also vowed to restore a system of checks and balances across the Hungarian state.
Orbán, whose Fidesz party is on course to retain only 55 seats, described the election results as "painful." The defeat represents a significant setback for the far-right global movement that Orbán championed, as well as for his close allies, including Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, according to reports from La Tercera.
While Magyar identifies as a conservative and a defender of family and Christian values, his platform lacks the divisive ideological stances on Ukraine that characterized the Fidesz era. He has focused his messaging on the high cost of living and the deteriorating state of public services like hospitals and transportation.
Despite his victory, Magyar has called for a period of cooperation from the outgoing leader. "If a serious decision or question arises regarding our nation during the hopefully short period of transition, please feel free to call me, you know my phone number," Magyar told the crowd.
As the final ballots from abroad and domestic polling stations are tallied, the political landscape of Central Europe faces a major shift. European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, have reacted to the results as the country moves away from the pro-Russian, anti-EU stance maintained by the Fidesz government.
