Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar moved quickly Monday to convert his campaign promises into a governing timetable, calling on the country’s president to convene parliament “as quickly as possible” so that he could take over as prime minister as early as May 5. Speaking in Budapest after his party’s decisive vote, Magyar framed his next steps as both a political transition and a reset of how the government operates.
Magyar said the results gave his Tisza party what he described as a “never-before-seen mandate,” backed by a super-majority in parliament. He said the party won 138 of the legislature’s 199 seats, which he said would let it pursue “ambitious program and reforms,” including steps aimed at restoring rule of law and making government structures more independent and capable of fighting corruption.
At a news conference, Magyar pledged to overhaul government structures and to create new ministries to address what he described as acute problems in public health, environmental protection and education. He also called for officials, including Hungary’s president, to step down “of their own accord,” arguing that the country needs changes quickly if it is to undo long-standing arrangements.
On foreign policy and Hungary’s position in the EU, Magyar said he opposes fast-track EU membership for Ukraine while the country is still at war. He also indicated that his approach to a separate EU measure tied to Ukraine would differ from Viktor Orban’s strategy, saying he wouldn’t veto a 90-billion-euro EU loan for Ukraine as Orban did, and instead wants Hungary to “opt out” of participating in the loan because of Hungary’s own financial struggles.
Magyar did not address his eventual relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, who supported Orban’s campaign. In the same political context, Magyar thanked Moscow and Beijing for offering their congratulations and willingness to work with Hungary’s new government, while also saying Hungarians “will write their history” not in Moscow, Beijing or Washington.
The election outcome was met with jubilation in Budapest late Sunday, with tens of thousands in the streets, many of them young people, celebrating what they described as an opening for greater freedom and a return to the European fold. Among those celebrating, Adrien Rixer, who said he was returning from his home in London, told reporters he wanted his vote to count and said he felt “over the moon” after 16 years.
Despite the excitement, the extent of Magyar’s ability to reshape Hungary remains an open question. Magyar’s win and Tisza’s two-thirds authority would allow it to undo much of legislation passed during Orban’s time in office—including changes that enabled the former leader to pass a new constitution, rewrite the electoral system and reshape the judiciary—yet political observers said key institutions may still resist change.
Bulcsú Hunyadi, an analyst with the Budapest-based think tank Political Capital, said Tisza’s constitutional majority gives it broad powers to roll back many Orban-era policies, but that Hungary’s key institutions are “led by people who are cemented in their position for many years.” Hunyadi pointed to how Orban installed loyal allies at the helm of major institutions, including the media authority, the public prosecutor’s office and the Constitutional Court, often extending mandates or pushing through appointments before existing terms ended.
The EU’s timetable may also shape how fast Magyar can deliver. Magyar accuses Orban and his government of mismanaging Hungary’s economy and social services, and of overseeing unchecked corruption, and he has vowed to seek accountability and to create an Office for the Recovery and Protection of National Assets to reclaim what he says are ill-gotten gains. Magyar also campaigned for European Union funds that have been frozen over corruption and rule-of-law concerns, and he has pledged to introduce the euro by 2030, a move Orban’s government resisted.
Hunyadi said Magyar’s government will face “tight pressure” from the EU to carry out reforms to unlock frozen funds, noting that unfreezing is linked to deadlines. He said there are deadlines by August for the kinds of laws and reforms Hungary would need to deliver in order to access money tied to those conditions.
In Ukraine policy, EU members have watched Hungary closely for signs of whether Magyar would reverse Orban’s approach. The wire described that Orban used his veto power to block sanctions on Russia and crucial funding to Kyiv, and has said he would not allow talks on Ukraine joining the EU to resume, while Magyar’s comments indicated a different stance: opposing fast-track membership for now, but shifting Hungary’s position on financing rather than using a veto.
A statement on Monday from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Orban’s election campaign—described as “marked by manipulative rhetoric about Ukraine”—was now behind the country. Sybiha said Ukraine expects the election results will contribute to a “normalization of political relations.” The outcome sets the immediate political course for a country that many Europeans had been watching for signs of whether Hungary’s next government would move away from Orban-era obstruction and toward a quicker path to EU cooperation.