A perfect storm of a child abuse scandal, the poor state of the economy and services, and a charismatic former insider with a well-organised party and a huge, diverse voter base were the necessary ingredients to oust Hungary’s populist strongman.
Kristof Abel Tarnay
The illusion of Viktor Orban’s invincibility has been shattered. A major child abuse scandal; the poor economic performance that challenged the foundations of the Fidesz-KDNP alliance’s rule; a charismatic former insider with a well-organised party and a huge, diverse voter base which prioritised unseating the government over ideological differences – these appear to have been the ingredients necessary to oust Hungary’s populist strongman.
It is an enormous loss for Moscow and the far-right movement worldwide, while debunking the myth that Orban could not be defeated in a democratic election. Now, the new prime minister, Peter Magyar, faces numerous challenges, from reforming the poorly functioning state systems to meeting high expectations and managing the deep polarisation of the country.
It was not a surprise that in Budapest, a city which has long been a stronghold of the opposition, people celebrated the result on the streets. But there were similar scenes in Debrecen, once a power base for the ruling parties. The results map, which before was almost all the orange of Fidesz-KDNP turned mostly blue for Magyar’s Tisza party, with just several orange islands. Crucially, Tisza won a two-thirds constitutional majority in the election, which will allow it wide latitude in dismantling Orban’s system. With almost all of the votes counted, Tisza looked set for 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament, while Orban’s Fidesz looked to have won only 55.
“Together we overthrew the Orban regime, we liberated Hungary, we took back our homeland,” Magyar said in his victory speech on Sunday.
“Our victory is visible, not from the Moon, but from every Hungarian window – whether it’s the smallest mud-brick cottage or a high-rise building,” he added, referencing Orban’s speech from 2022, when he said that they won so big it could be seen even from the Moon, but definitely from Brussels.
That was an election night that Hungarians had become used to. However, in the last two years, something major changed in the country.
