Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced that his party's parliamentary majority will establish six investigative committees to probe alleged misconduct, corruption, and abuses of power by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government. Speaking to lawmakers on Tuesday, Magyar detailed plans to scrutinize issues including the suspected misappropriation of public funds managed by Hungary's National Bank, a case currently under police investigation that potentially involves hundreds of millions of dollars.
Accountability for Orbán's Tenure
Magyar and his center-right Tisza party secured a landslide victory last month, defeating the autocratic leader and winning a two-thirds majority in Parliament. This supermajority enables Tisza to reverse many policies that earned Orbán a reputation among critics as a far-right authoritarian. A key campaign promise was holding Orbán, his nationalist-populist Fidesz party, and their allied business elites accountable for alleged misconduct.
“We will put all corruption and abuses of power on full display,” Magyar declared. “The Hungarian people have the right to know who benefited from their money, who stole their money, who got rich from the vulnerability of the people.”
Investigative Committees and Reforms
During his 16-year tenure, Orbán faced accusations of widespread misuse of public funds, including funneling lucrative state contracts to family members and Fidesz-allied business figures. He was also accused of using state power to erode democratic institutions, leading the European Parliament to declare Hungary no longer a democracy in 2022.
Since taking office earlier this month, Tisza lawmakers have submitted a constitutional amendment limiting prime ministers to eight years in office—a restriction that would apply to Magyar himself. Orbán, who served four consecutive terms, would be barred from becoming prime minister again. Magyar stated that his government would also enforce the eight-year limit on other elected offices, emphasizing that “no one should imagine that electoral authority is inherited forever. Power exercised without limits leads to loss of control over time in any democratic system.”
Another investigative committee will examine a pardon issued to an accomplice in a child sexual abuse case by former President Katalin Novák, which led to her resignation in 2024. Magyar also pledged to dissolve the Sovereignty Protection Office, an authority created by Orbán's government in 2023 to investigate NGOs, media outlets, and political parties under the guise of preventing foreign influence.
Additionally, Magyar vowed to eliminate “political privileges” previously enjoyed by officeholders, including reducing salaries for the prime minister, cabinet members, executives at state companies, and lawmakers.
