Hungary’s election occurred on Sunday, April 12th. It was a highly discussed election worldwide since the former Prime Minister of the country, Viktor Orban, finally faced true opposition after 16 years in power. At the end of the night, Peter Magyar-Orban’s competitor won, and the country rejoiced.
Who is Viktor Orban and why is he important?
Viktor Orban was the leader of the right-wing party called Fidesz. The party used to be center-right on the political spectrum, but moved towards the right wing instead. After Orban had a successful term from 1998 to 2002 as a center-right and pro-European leader, he ran again in 2010. He won, but the party had changed. They had won ⅔ rds of the seats in their parliament. With this power, they were able to change the constitution and basic laws, shifting the checks and balances for the majority rule. It gave the party greater control over the courts and other independent organisations, including the media.
Orban has occasionally described his country’s political state as an ‘illiberal state’ or a “Christian Democracy’. Although elections are regular and opposition parties can campaign freely, the playing field is still uneven. Since Fidesz changed the rules, the party has an advantage over the others, meaning that a win for the opposition party would have to be decisive.
Who won the Election?
The winner of the election is Peter Magyer. His win was a stunning turn of events for everyone, but not unwelcome. The number of voters that turned up hadn’t been recorded since the fall of communism in 1990. Magyer is a 45-year-old lawyer and judge who used to be part of the Fidesz party as an Orban loyalist. He broke away from it when then-President, Katalin Novak, pardoned a former official who was accused of abusing underage boys. He resigned after that, then began to speak out about corruption and the problems with Orban’s government.
Magyer is part of the center-right Tisza party, which also won 2/3rds of the seats on Sunday during the election. As joyous supporters watched, he reiterated his promises to rebuild Hungary’s ties with the European Union and NATO, dig out corruption, and restore the systems of checks and balances.
Why is this Important?
After the long rule of Orban, the people of the country finally get a change in power. The new Prime Minister has new promises that are more in line with what the public has wanted, especially with NATO. It has caused celebrations in the country with many congratulatory messages from across Europe, including Denmark, the UK, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, and more. U.S.President Trump has, however, not weighed in on his opinion of the win. It is also known that the U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke at a rally for Viktor Orban in Budapest just last week.
