Magyar Sworn In as Hungary PM, Ending Orbán’s Era

Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister on May 9th, ending Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule. His center-right Tisza party secured a constitutional majority with 141 out of 199 seats, the largest victory for any party since Hungary’s post-Communist history.

The inauguration was celebrated by thousands gathered on Kossuth Square outside parliament, where Magyar emphasized systemic change. In his first speech as prime minister, he apologized to those who had been maligned by the state during Orbán's rule, including civilians, teachers, journalists, and health workers who faced harassment for speaking out.

Magyar pledged to restore democratic institutions and governmental checks and balances eroded during Orbán’s tenure. He inherits an economy emerging from stagnation but facing challenges from surging energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict. The EU flag was raised on parliament's facade for the first time since 2014, symbolizing Magyar's promise to repair Hungary's ties with the EU.

Unlocking about €17 billion ($20 billion) of frozen EU funds is a top priority for Magyar, as this money is needed to help jump-start Hungary’s struggling economy. Many Hungarians expect him to hold Fidesz officials and their business allies accountable for perceived misconduct during Orbán’s tenure.

During his swearing-in ceremony at Hungary's neo-Gothic parliament, Magyar vowed to suspend news services of Hungary's public broadcaster until objectivity can be restored. The new national assembly includes 54 women lawmakers, the most in Hungary’s history. Leftist and liberal parties will have no seats in the parliament for the first time since 1990.

The Hungarian government’s new Cabinet was sworn into office on Tuesday, marking the final transfer of power from Orbán's administration to Magyar's center-right government. The swearing-in of the 16 ministers came after only two days of parliamentary committee hearings, indicating Magyar's intent to swiftly end Orbán's political system.

Magyar’s pro-European Tisza party defeated Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz in a stunning blow last month, gaining more votes and seats in Parliament than any other party in Hungary’s post-Communist history. The win gave Tisza a two-thirds majority, allowing it to roll back many of the policies that gave Orbán a reputation among his critics as a far-right authoritarian.

Finance Minister Andras Karman outlined plans to rebuild policy predictability marred by years of ad hoc changes, aiming to lay down a four-year path of deficit and debt reduction. He pledged to put Hungary on track to meet the criteria for euro adoption by 2030. The new government will need about a month and a half to gain full clarity on the 2026 budget, which originally set a shortfall of 5% of output, with much of it accumulated amid heavy pre-election spending under Orbán.

Karman emphasized that Hungary's economy should focus more on productivity gains, investments generating added value, and skilled jobs rather than large-scale employment. He also committed to making the business environment more predictable by ending retroactive legislation, restoring fair competition, and eliminating overpriced public procurement.

According to Reuters, Hungary will start another round of talks with the European Commission about releasing suspended EU funds on Monday. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said he hoped to sign a political agreement in Brussels next week. Hungary is racing to meet an August 31 deadline to become eligible for €10.4 billion from the European Union's post-pandemic recovery fund, which Magyar inherited as part of soaring budget deficit and an economy that barely clambered out of recession.

Hungary’s new government has put forward a constitutional amendment that would limit prime ministers to a maximum of eight years in office, effectively barring Viktor Orbán from returning to the role. The draft amendment was submitted on Wednesday, just over a week after the new government took office. It marked Magyar and his Tisza party’s first step in dismantling a constitution that was unilaterally rewritten and amended more than a dozen times as Orbán and his Fidesz party worked to turn Hungary into what they called a “petri dish for illiberalism.”

As the new government races to unlock billions in frozen EU funds, the draft amendment also addresses a longstanding point of friction with the bloc by reclaiming the foundations that, during Orbán’s time, were used to maintain nearly two dozen universities and think tanks such as the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. The proposal sets out that the state could dissolve these foundations.

In mid-May, the new foreign minister, Anita Orbán, said she had summoned Russia’s ambassador to Hungary over a massive drone attack in Ukraine, marking a reversal of her predecessor’s seemingly servile relations with Moscow. She stressed that Russia should do everything for an immediate ceasefire and a peaceful and lasting end to the war as soon as possible.