Hungary's flamboyant new health minister, Zsolt Hegedus, once again stole the spotlight as he repeated the dance routine that first made him an internet sensation. The 56-year-old orthopaedic surgeon, a former NHS doctor tipped as a rising star in Hungary's new government, erupted into a frenzy of air guitar, high kicks, and wild arm-waving at the inauguration celebrations for new Prime Minister Peter Magyar.
Viral Performance at Parliament
Mr Hegedus had already become a viral hit after his eccentric victory-night performance helped mark the end of Viktor Orban's 16-year grip on power. But with tens of thousands gathered outside parliament in Budapest on Saturday, he appeared determined to top his first effort. On stage, he hopped on one foot, strumming an air guitar and launching his limbs in multiple directions as music blasted through the square. At one point, he whipped the crowd into a frenzy by urging supporters to dance along with him.
Cheers rang out across the capital as celebrations continued long into the night following the landslide triumph of Magyar's centre-right Tisza party, which swept to power in one of the biggest political upsets in modern Hungarian history.
Landslide Election Victory
Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer who only founded Tisza in 2024, secured a crushing parliamentary majority, winning 141 seats in Hungary's 199-seat parliament. Orban's nationalist Fidesz party was reduced to just 52 seats, while the hard-right Our Homeland party took six. Celebrations erupted throughout Budapest as supporters flooded the streets, creating a festival atmosphere. Local markets surged on news of the result, while observers in Brussels welcomed hopes of a reset in relations with Hungary after years of clashes with Orban's government over Ukraine and EU policy.
In a symbolic move on Saturday, the EU flag was raised once again outside Hungary's parliament for the first time since Orban ordered it removed in 2014.
From NHS Surgeon to Health Minister
Mr Hegedus, who specialises in hip operations, spent a decade living and working in Britain between 2005 and 2015, holding roles at hospitals in Manchester and Bristol. The surgeon has repeatedly praised the NHS, once comparing the British healthcare system to a perfectly prepared Formula 1 car. He told a Hungarian newspaper last year: 'In England, I feel like a Formula 1 driver who is told: Mr Hegedus, here is the perfectly prepared and maintained car, we will give you all the tools you need, you just have to perform at your best.'
By contrast, he claimed Hungarian doctors are handed a vehicle where 'the steering wheel is not yet fixed' and must organise repairs themselves while trying to drive. Since returning to Hungary, Mr Hegedus has become known for campaigning against corrupt cash payments within the healthcare system and has vowed to overhaul the country's struggling medical services using lessons learned during his time in Britain.
Political Background and Reforms
The medic also comes from a politically prominent family. His father was a pastor involved in the 1956 uprising against Soviet rule, while his brother served as a lawmaker for a far-right nationalist party. Addressing jubilant supporters after taking the oath of office, Mr Magyar declared: 'Today, every freedom-loving person in the world would like to be Hungarian a little. You have taught the country and the world that it is the most ordinary, flesh-and-blood people who can defeat the most vicious tyranny.'
The new prime minister has promised sweeping reforms, including anti-corruption measures, restoring the independence of public broadcasting, and rewriting the constitution to prevent any future leader from accumulating the kind of power Orban wielded during his 16 years in office. Just days after his election triumph, Mr Magyar also raised eyebrows by expressing hope that Britain could one day return to the European Union, saying: 'The Brits were also part of the EU; let's hope that they rejoin.'
