Peter Magyar’s victory was heroic as he managed to dethrone Viktor Orbán after 16 years as prime minister of Hungary.
The one-time “child” of the outgoing prime minister managed to take the helm of Hungary with the “Tisza” party in perhaps the most important election of the post-war period. From the moment the polls closed in Hungary and the first votes began to be counted, it was clear that the big winner was 45-year-old lawyer Peter Mayer.
With more than 98 percent of the votes counted, Mayer’s party secured 138 seats in the 199-member parliament, securing a strong majority that will allow it to change the constitution and abolish key features of Orbán’s “hegemony”. The end of the far-right leader’s era was written last Easter Sunday night, causing upset for Donald Trump (his ally and friend), Vladimir Putin and Georgia Meloni alike.
Coming from Viktor Orban’s party, Peter Magyar was aware of the gaps and weaknesses of the previously ruling party.
His political course changed in 2024, when he left the ruling camp, even denouncing corruption, lack of transparency and concentration of power.
It was at this point that he began to strongly gain the trust of Hungarians, who for 16 years had been under Viktor Orban’s government.
Orban’s scandal – “condemnation”
More specifically, it all started in 2023, when Peter Magyar publicly denounced the Orbán government for corruption.
Hungary’s new prime minister had secretly recorded a conversation with his then-wife and justice minister Judith Varga in which there was talk of alleged government interference in a corruption case.
In essence, the case concerns the pardon given by the then Hungarian president to a man convicted of covering up the sexual abuse of minors in an institution.
The revelation sparked public outrage, leading the president, Katalin Novak, to announce her resignation.
It is worth noting that Katalin Novak was an ally of Viktor Orbán and came from his camp, which led to the then Hungarian Prime Minister being met with a lot of backlash, even though she was not accused of the scandal.
Since then, the Tisza party subsequently emerged as the strongest opposition force, especially after the 2024 European elections, where it recorded a significant rise.
Mayar has promised to end corruption, unblock billions of euros from the European Union and tax the rich more, and he wants to make changes to the health system, which is facing serious problems.
He then revealed that Viktor Orbán congratulated him on his victory.
Feuertian leader Viktor Orbán congratulated him on his victory.
This is a major victory for democracy in Europe, where right-wing – far-right governments have been on the rise in recent years.
