In the wake of the election earthquake, Hungary is contemplating life after Orbán

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The winner of the Hungarian election, Peter Magyar, on Monday called on the country’s president to convene Parliament to form a new government “as quickly as possible,” hoping he can take over the job of prime minister from Viktor Orban as early as May 5.

With an overwhelming new mandate, the Hungarian pledged to cooperate with other European countries, ending the Orbán-era obstructionism of politics across Europe, while also representing Hungarians’ desires.

At a press conference on Monday in Budapest, he promised to restore the rule of law, reform government structures to make them more independent and able to fight corruption, and create new ministries to address acute problems in areas such as public health, environmental protection and education.

He said he opposes fast-tracking Ukraine’s membership in the European Union while the country is still at war. But he has indicated that he will not veto a €90 billion EU loan to Ukraine, as Orban did, and instead wants Hungary to “opt out” of participating in the loan because of its financial struggles.

He did not immediately address his final relations with US President Donald Trump, who supported Orban’s campaign.

Magyar said his TISA party had received an “unprecedented mandate”, an overwhelming majority that would allow it to embark on an ambitious program and reforms.

He said: “The Hungarian people did not vote for a simple change of government, but for a complete change of the regime.”

In his election campaign, Magyar also pledged to end Hungary’s drift towards Russia. Magyar thanked Moscow and Beijing on Monday for offering their congratulations and willingness to work with the new Hungarian government.

He added: “The Hungarians said yesterday that they will write their history, not in Moscow, not in Beijing, not in Washington.”

During his long period in office, Orbán governed with the strength of a two-thirds parliamentary majority, which allowed him to pass a new constitution, rewrite the electoral system and reshape the judiciary.

Magyar’s party received exactly such a mandate on Sunday when it won 138 of parliament’s 199 seats, giving it broad power to undo much of the legislation that has allowed Orban to stack the courts, manipulate the electoral system, suppress press freedom, and discriminate against the LGBT community.

However, there are potential risks that could stand in the way of the radical changes that many Hungarians have been hoping for.

Historic win

The Hungarians’ victory was met with jubilation in the streets of Budapest late Sunday, where tens of thousands, many of them young, celebrated what they saw as a glimmer of hope that Orban’s loss would make Hungary freer, happier and more firmly rooted in the fold of European democracies.

On the streets and roads throughout the capital, drivers honked their horns and blasted anti-government songs as people walked through the streets chanting and screaming.

During the celebrations, Adrian Rexer said he would be returning to Hungary from his home in London “because I really wanted to make my voice count, and I’m very happy.”

“Finally I can say that I am proud to be Hungarian, finally after 16 years,” he said.

Many Hungarians, and others across Europe, who were watching the elections closely, feared that Tisza’s simple majority would not be enough to truly transform Orban’s regime.

However, others remain uncertain about what a two-thirds majority power might bring, with some uneasy about taking such a mandate from Orbán and handing it to his opponent.

Daniel Kovacs, one of the revelers, said: “It is difficult to see that with a two-thirds majority it will be a fair government, but we will see.” “Let’s hope the four years are promising.”

Magyar and Tessa’s election victory was unprecedented in Hungary’s post-communist history: they obtained more votes and parliamentary seats than any party had before.

While TISA’s constitutional majority gives it broad powers to roll back many of Orbán’s policies, Hungary’s key institutions are “led by people who have been in office for many years,” said Bolexo Hunyadi, an analyst at Budapest-based think tank Political Capital.

As part of his broader efforts to consolidate his control over Hungary’s democratic system, Orban has installed loyal allies at the head of key institutions, from the Media Authority to the Attorney General’s Office and the Constitutional Court.

In many cases, terms were extended or new appointments were pushed in before the current term expired, moves that effectively kept loyalist leadership in place for years, beyond any potential change in government.

Magyar called on these officials – including the Hungarian president – to step down on their own. Moreover, “they don’t really have any other tools to remove these people,” Hunyadi said.

Pressure from the European Union

Magyar accuses Orban and his government of mismanaging the Hungarian economy and social services, and overseeing rampant corruption that he says has led to the accumulation of vast wealth within a small circle of well-connected insiders while leaving ordinary Hungarians behind.

He has pledged to hold such abuses accountable, and plans to create an office for the recovery and protection of national assets to recover what he says are the ill-gotten gains of Orban’s allies.

The Hungarians campaigned heavily on a promise to restore billions of euros in EU funding that had been frozen due to corruption and rule of law concerns under Orban. He also pledged to introduce the euro into Hungary by 2030 – something Orbán’s government has long resisted.

Hunyadi, the analyst, said Magyar’s government would be under “intense pressure” from the European Union to implement reforms quickly in order to access those frozen funds that Hungary’s faltering economy desperately needs.

“There are deadlines regarding the release of frozen funds. They will have to introduce certain laws and reforms by August this year, which is only a few months away,” he said.

Tessa’s victory raised hopes across the European Union that the new government in Budapest would act to reverse Orban’s belligerent approach to Ukraine and his obstruction of efforts to help the war-torn country as it defends against an all-out Russian invasion.

Orban has used his veto power in the European Union to thwart sanctions on Russia and block crucial funding for Kiev. He also pledged to never allow talks on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union to resume.

In a statement on Monday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Ssibha said Orban’s election campaign, “which was unfortunately characterized by manipulative rhetoric on Ukraine, is now behind us.”

“We expect that… the election results will also contribute to the normalization of political relations,” Al-Subaiha said.

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