BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Hungary officially entered a dramatic new political chapter on Saturday as Péter Magyar was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister, ending the long and controversial era of Viktor Orbán, whose nationalist government dominated Hungarian politics for the past 16 years.
The inauguration marked one of the most significant political transitions in modern Hungarian history, following a stunning election victory by Magyar’s center-right Tisza party. The movement, founded only in 2024, achieved a landslide triumph in last month’s parliamentary elections, defeating Orbán’s Fidesz party and securing a commanding two-thirds majority in parliament.
The result shattered the political dominance Orbán had maintained since returning to power in 2010 and delivered the strongest parliamentary mandate achieved by any political party since the collapse of communism in Hungary.
Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer and former political insider turned opposition leader, took his oath of office inside Hungary’s iconic neo-Gothic parliament building alongside lawmakers from his newly empowered party. The ceremony symbolized not only a change in leadership but the beginning of what supporters described as a democratic renewal after years of political polarization and institutional centralization.
Thousands of Hungarians flooded Budapest’s Kossuth Square outside parliament throughout the day, waving Hungarian and European Union flags while celebrating what many called the end of the Orbán era. Supporters wearing Tisza party shirts gathered for an all-day “regime-change celebration,” an event Magyar himself had encouraged citizens to attend in the days leading up to the inauguration.
In a fiery speech delivered to cheering crowds after the swearing-in ceremony, Magyar praised ordinary Hungarians for bringing about political change through democratic means.
“Today, every freedom-loving person in the world wants to be a little Hungarian,” he declared to loud applause.
He went on to say that citizens had proven that “the most ordinary, flesh-and-blood people” could overcome authoritarian politics and restore democratic values to the country.
The emotional atmosphere surrounding the ceremony reflected the extraordinary political turnaround that has unfolded in Hungary over the past year. Orbán, once considered one of Europe’s most powerful and durable nationalist leaders, suffered a devastating electoral defeat that many analysts had once considered nearly impossible.
For the first time since Hungary’s first post-Communist parliament was established in 1990, Orbán was absent from the opening session of the National Assembly.
The balance of power inside parliament has shifted dramatically. Tisza now controls 141 seats in the 199-member legislature, while Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance has been reduced to just 52 seats after previously controlling 135. The far-right Mi Hazánk party secured the remaining six seats.
The overwhelming majority gives Magyar broad authority to reshape state institutions and reverse policies introduced during Orbán’s tenure. Critics of the former government had long accused Orbán of weakening democratic checks and balances, politicizing state institutions, tightening control over media outlets, and steering Hungary away from mainstream European democratic norms.
Magyar has pledged to restore institutional independence, strengthen anti-corruption mechanisms, and rebuild public trust in government. He has also promised to reduce political divisions that deepened during years of increasingly combative politics.
Addressing the nation during his speech, the new prime minister said Hungary must once again become “a common homeland for all Hungarians.”
“Today is the fulfillment of the long journey that we have made together in recent years,” Magyar said. “Hungary is able to get back on its feet, able to believe in itself, and able to renew itself.”
The new parliament also reflects major social changes. Hungary’s National Assembly now includes 54 female lawmakers, the highest number in the country’s history, with most belonging to the Tisza party. The increase marks a sharp contrast with previous governments, during which Hungary consistently ranked among the lowest European Union countries in female political representation.
Andrea Szepesi, a newly elected economist from Budapest, described the moment as a turning point for women in Hungarian public life, saying the country was finally moving toward a more inclusive democratic system.
Magyar’s rise to power is also expected to significantly alter Hungary’s relationship with the European Union. Under Orbán, Hungary frequently clashed with Brussels over rule-of-law concerns, judicial independence, media freedom, and alleged corruption. Orbán repeatedly blocked or delayed major EU decisions, including measures related to support for Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
The new prime minister has promised to restore Hungary’s standing among Western democracies and repair strained ties with European institutions.
In a symbolic gesture reflecting that shift, the European Union flag was raised once again on the parliament building Saturday afternoon for the first time since Orbán’s government ordered its removal in 2014.
One of Magyar’s most urgent priorities will be unlocking approximately 17 billion euros in frozen EU funds that had been withheld because of concerns surrounding corruption and democratic standards under the previous administration. Economists believe access to those funds will be critical for reviving Hungary’s struggling economy, which has faced years of stagnation, inflation pressures, and weakening investment.
Many supporters attending the celebrations said they hoped the new administration would move Hungary closer to Europe politically and economically while reducing Russian influence in the country.
Among them was 27-year-old web designer Áron Farsang, who expressed optimism that Hungary could once again align itself more firmly with the European Union.
“I would really like it if we could get rid of the Russian influence as soon as possible,” he said, pointing to energy dependence and what he described as the political style associated with Moscow.
Despite the celebratory mood, Magyar also signaled that his government intends to pursue accountability for alleged abuses and corruption during the previous administration.
During his address to parliament, he called on several senior officials appointed under Orbán — including President Tamás Sulyok — to resign by the end of May.
The new administration plans to establish a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office tasked with investigating the alleged misuse of public funds during the Fidesz years. Magyar has also vowed to suspend the news services of Hungary’s state broadcaster, which critics accused of functioning as a political mouthpiece for Orbán’s government, until independent standards can be restored.
At the same time, Magyar attempted to balance demands for accountability with calls for national reconciliation.
“There can be no new beginning without reconciliation,” he told lawmakers. “There can be no reconciliation without justice. And there can be no justice without confronting the past.”
His remarks underscored the challenge now facing Hungary’s new government: delivering political reform and institutional change while attempting to heal a country deeply divided after more than a decade of intense ideological conflict.
For supporters gathered outside parliament, however, Saturday represented more than a routine transfer of power. Many viewed it as the beginning of a democratic reset that could redefine Hungary’s future both at home and within Europe.