The Budapest wall has fallen. On April 12, 2026, the Respect and Liberty party (Tisza) of Péter Magyar put an end to the 16-year reign of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Hungary. They obtained an absolute majority in Parliament, with 138 seats out of 199, against 55 for the ruling coalition, Fidesz and its Christian Democratic ally. “Truth has defeated lies,” exclaimed the winner on the evening of the election, in front of his supporters gathered in Budapest. “Hungary has made history today.”
Not a Russophile country
There were signs foreshadowing this earthquake. While Viktor Orbán exuded confidence, his oligarch friends were safeguarding their fortunes. On March 26, 2026, the independent media outlet 444.hu revealed that Ádám Matolcsy, son of the former president of the Hungarian Central Bank, was transporting his vintage cars and luxury furniture to the United Arab Emirates. On the same day, the weekly HVG reported that Lőrinc Mészáros, Hungary’s wealthiest man who attributed his wealth to “God, luck, and Viktor Orbán,” emptied the cash register of one of his companies and transferred the sum to his personal account.
