Orban Era Ends in Hungary as Magyar Sworn in as PM

Péter Magyar was sworn in Saturday as Hungary’s prime minister, formally ending Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule and opening what the new leader called a new chapter in the country’s history.

Magyar’s center-right, pro-European Tisza party won a landslide victory in last month’s parliamentary election, taking 141 seats in the 199-seat parliament. The result marked a dramatic collapse for Orbán’s Fidesz movement, which had dominated Hungarian politics since 2010 and became a model for nationalist and populist parties across the world.

Speaking to parliament, Magyar said voters had given Tisza a mandate not only to change the government, but to change the system. He said Hungary had become the most corrupt country in the European Union under Orbán and vowed to hold former officials accountable.

Outside parliament, tens of thousands of supporters gathered to watch the inaugural session on large screens. Crowds cheered Magyar and booed lawmakers from Fidesz and the far-right Our Homeland party. The event was held on Europe Day, a symbolic choice meant to emphasize Magyar’s pledge to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU.

Magyar told supporters that Hungarians had shown that ordinary citizens could defeat what he called tyranny. “Today, every freedom-loving person in the world wants to be a little Hungarian,” he said.

One of the first symbolic moves came when the new speaker of parliament, Ágnes Forsthoffer, announced that the EU flag would be returned to the parliament building. Fidesz removed it in 2014.

Magyar called for Orbán-era appointees to resign by the end of the month, including President Tamás Sulyok, who had formally nominated him to form the government minutes earlier. He said his government would seek justice against those who, even in the final days of the previous administration, were trying to “steal everything.”

The new government is expected to face immediate pressure on several fronts. Magyar has promised to restore public services, reduce corruption, rebuild ties with Brussels and unlock billions of euros in frozen EU funds. But he will also have to confront a stagnant economy, a high budget deficit and deep networks of Orbán loyalists in the judiciary, media, academia and state institutions.

Orbán, 62, will not sit in parliament for the first time since Hungary’s democratization in 1990. He has said he will focus on reorganizing his movement.

Magyar, 45, was once part of Fidesz’s elite before breaking with the party in 2024 and accusing its leaders of building a corrupt system that enriched insiders at the public’s expense. His rapid rise has now produced Hungary’s most significant political shift in a generation.