Press Review – Peter Magyar’s clear victory in the legislative elections appears to signal a turning point in Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule. Some European media outlets report that Hungarians are hopeful for a fresh start.
“It’s over,” (“Es ist vorbei”), states the Hungarian columnist for the German daily Suddeutsche Zeitung in a restrained manner, seemingly relieved. In this progressive-leaning newspaper, he celebrates Viktor Orban’s downfall before analyzing the reasons behind Peter Magyar’s resounding victory. “Hungary has suddenly shifted from a land of distrust and hatred to a land of hope,” he says, pleased with the outgoing prime minister’s devastating loss, 38% to 54%. Amid scenes of jubilation observed in Budapest last night, Le Figaro‘s correspondent speaks of “a massive catharsis after sixteen years of power confiscation.”
In the United States, the major media outlets highlighted Magyar’s victory on their websites this morning. According to the New York Times, Viktor Orban “could not overcome the growing discontent of his own citizens.” On the domestic front, an editorialist from Le Monde asserts that Orban has led his country into a dead-end, while also “undermining the methodical construction of a clientelistic system unparalleled in Europe.” He argues that the ousted Hungarian government demonstrated that “economic populism steeped in sovereignty and corroded by corruption ultimately leads to stagnation.”
Thanks to the parliamentary supermajority, the new prime minister will now have free rein to govern as he sees fit. This will allow him, as indicated by Politico Europe, to “amend the Constitution” and dismantle the pillars of Orban’s “illiberal democracy,” “neutralizing strict control over the judicial system, state-owned enterprises, and media.”
Hungarians now hope for “an economic recovery and a pro-European shift with Peter Magyar,” according to the editor-in-chief of the conservative Austrian newspaper Die Presse. He believes that “Hungary now has the opportunity for a fresh start.” The Spanish newspaper El Pais enthusiastically lists the key points of Magyar’s political project: “Europeanism, the rule of law, respect for critical voices, and the LGBTI community.”
“Brussels gets rid of its most cumbersome ally”
At the dawn of a new political era, a certain enthusiasm is spreading in many centrist-leaning European newspapers. Zeit believes that “democracy has triumphed” and that the European Union is now “getting rid of one of its most urgent problems.” El Pais also concludes that Brussels is shedding “its most cumbersome ally, more aligned with the United States, Russia, and China than with its European partners.” Meanwhile, according to the Washington Post, Washington and Moscow are losing their “closest ideologically compatible comrade in Europe.”
Orban’s defeat is also a severe blow to those who fervently supported him. In the Polish media outlet Wyzborca, the columnist claims that Trump and Putin also lost the elections in Hungary. “Today, Budapest has sent a signal to the whole world: the march of autocrats can be stopped,” he writes, full of enthusiasm. The British Times expresses a similar sentiment, stating that it is not just a “practical setback” for Trump, but “a rethinking of the central principle of his entire European strategy.” Namely, the idea that “the old continent has sunk into decadence under a hyper-liberal ruling coterie and needs to be saved by resorting to nationalist and reactionary forces such as Fidesz.”
Magyar opposes sending arms to Ukraine
However, some media outlets are tempering their excitement, still unsure of Peter Magyar’s ambitions, which focused primarily on fighting corruption during the campaign. While he promises to restore smoother relations with Brussels, the Romanian newspaper Adevarul wonders if “the new government will be able to keep its promises of reforms and rebuild relations with its European partners.” According to the Times, “domestic political pressures could eventually limit Magyar’s willingness to cooperate with Brussels.” Additionally, the leader of the Tisza party has reservations about certain European policies, as highlighted by the Washington Post: “he opposed sending arms to Ukraine and indicated that Hungarian imports of Russian energy would continue for the time being, despite EU efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas and oil.”
Regarding the war in Ukraine specifically, a turning point could still occur, especially with the unblocking of a €90 billion EU loan frozen for weeks due to a veto by Viktor Orban. The New York Times remains cautious, questioning whether Hungary will indeed shift from “the status of disruptor to supporter of Ukraine,” as the Hungarian public “remains skeptical of unconditional support for Kiev.”
