Hungary’s Péter Magyar Sworn In As Prime Minister, Ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-Year Rule

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s Peter Magyar He was sworn in Saturday to become the country’s new prime minister, ushering in a new political era after 16 years in power. Viktor Orbán autocratic rule.

Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party defeats Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz a stunning blow Last month it won more votes and seats in parliament than any other party in Hungary’s post-communist history.

This victory, which gives Tisza a two-thirds majority in parliament, will allow him to roll back many of the policies that gave Orbán credibility in the eyes of his critics. a far-right authoritarian.

Addressing tens of thousands of supporters in the square outside the parliament building after being sworn in, the new prime minister told the crowd: “Every freedom-loving person in the world today wants to be a little Hungarian.”

“You taught the country and the world that it is the most ordinary, flesh-and-blood people who can defeat the most brutal tyranny,” Magyar said to applause.

As Hungary’s new leader, Magyar has vowed to restore and dismantle democratic institutions and government checks and balances that have been largely eroded during Orbán’s rule. on corruption allegations.

His administration is expected to transform the political dynamics within the European Union, where the former prime minister has frequently roiled the bloc by vetoing major decisions, most recently on support for neighboring Ukraine.

On Saturday, Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer who founded Tisza in 2024, entered the vast neo-Gothic parliament building with 140 party representatives.

Tisza currently holds 141 seats in Hungary’s 199-seat parliament. Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition has 52 seats, down from 135, while the far-right Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland) party has six seats.

199 representatives took the oath of office around 11 a.m. It was the first time Orbán was not among Hungary’s first post-communist parliament since it was formed in 1990.

Hungarian early He called on Hungarians to join an all-day “regime change” celebration in Kossuth Square outside parliament to mark his inauguration and the end of the Orbán era. Many of those gathered waved Hungarian and EU flags and wore Tisza T-shirts.

In his speech, Magyar offered a message of unity and vowed to help heal deep social divisions that he said Orbán’s government had sown.

“Today is the completion of the long journey we have embarked on together in recent years, the realization of the common belief that Hungary can again stand on its own feet, believe in itself and once again become the common homeland for all Hungarians,” he said.

Hungary’s new National Assembly has 54 female MPs, mostly from the Tisza party; This number is more than a quarter of the total and the largest number of female MPs in Hungarian history.

One of them, Budapest economist Andrea Szepesi, said that “it is time” for more women to have seats in parliament. Under Orbán there were fewer women in government than in almost all of the EU’s other 26 countries.

“Finally, women can participate in this new, beautiful democratic system and the development of the country,” Szepesi told The Associated Press.

Magyar vows to repair Orbán’s country’s ties with EU pushed to breaking pointand to restore Hungary’s place among Western democracies, whose position as Orbán has been questioned Getting closer to Russia.

The EU flag was hoisted on the facade of the parliament building on Saturday afternoon for the first time since Orbán’s government removed it in 2014.

Approximately 17 billion euros unlocked Freezing EU funds for Hungary ($20 billion) during Orbán’s time in office due to rule of law and corruption concerns are also among the new prime minister’s top priorities. This money is desperately needed to revive Hungary’s economy, which has been in recession for the last four years.

Another participant in the celebration, 27-year-old web designer Áron Farsang, said he expected the new Tisza government to restore Hungary’s democratic institutions and “return us to the European Union.”

“I would love it too if we could get rid of Russian influence as soon as possible,” he said. “I think about their energy addiction and their general political style.”

Most of the nearly 3.4 million Hungarians who voted for Tisza expect Magyar to hold Fidesz officials and their associates accountable for perceived misconduct by the outgoing administration.

In his speech to the National Assembly, he called on the heads of government institutions appointed by Fidesz, including President Tamás Sulyok, to resign by May 31 at the latest.

Magyar plans to establish a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, an authority tasked with investigating and recovering public funds misappropriated during Orbán’s tenure. He also vowed to suspend the news services of Hungary’s public broadcaster, widely seen as the mouthpiece of Orbán’s party, until impartiality is restored.

In his speech to MPs, Magyar spoke of his intention to hold former officials accountable for past abuses and said voters “have given us the mandate to open a new page in Hungary’s history.”