Péter Magyar, the pro-European centre-right leader, was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister on Saturday, marking the official end to Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power. The ceremony, which Magyar had invited people to join to “write Hungarian history” together and “step through the gate of regime change”, came a month after his opposition Tisza party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, sparking jubilation in Budapest.
Speaking to tens of thousands of supporters outside parliament, Magyar described the road to change as “very long and often quite bumpy” but said Hungarians could finally rejoice. “Today, every freedom-loving person in the world wants to be a little Hungarian,” he said, adding that “the most ordinary, flesh-and-blood people can defeat the most vicious tyranny”. Earlier, he told parliament that Hungarians had given his party a mandate to launch a “new chapter”, not only to change the government but also to change the system. He accused Orbán’s government of making Hungary the most corrupt country in the EU and vowed to seek justice against those trying to “steal everything”.
Magyar reiterated calls for Orbán-era appointees to resign by the end of the month, starting with President Tamás Sulyok, who had nominated him moments earlier. The crowds outside parliament roared their approval. He pledged to build a more inclusive Hungary, one that would be “more free, humane and hopeful”, stating: “What connects us will be stronger than what divides us.”
Thousands had gathered in the square outside the neo-Gothic parliament from early Saturday, cheering at each glimpse of Magyar and booing lawmakers from Fidesz and the far-right Our Homeland party. Erzsébet Medve, 68, a teacher from Miskolc, said it was the first time she felt “good to be Hungarian”, adding she had long watched the education system deprived of funds. Marianna Szűcs, 70, said she hoped Hungary would become more livable, as two of her children had to move abroad after she spoke out against the government. “Now we hope they will be able to come home,” she said. The crowd erupted when the new speaker announced the return of the EU flag, which had been taken down by Fidesz in 2014.
Magyar, until recently a little-known former member of Fidesz’s elite, burst into public view in early 2024 after turning on the party. He accused officials of expanding their power and wealth at the expense of ordinary Hungarians, laying bare the inner workings of a system he described as rotten. Tisza won 141 seats in the 199-seat parliament, a stunning outcome for Magyar and marking the first time since 1990 that Orbán—who shifted from pro-democracy campaigner to a Russia-friendly figure—is not in power.
