European leaders hope Hungary's new leader Péter Magyar can make the EU great again
BUDAPEST (AP) — From the jubilant crowds along the Danube in Budapest to executive offices in Brussels, praise and even glee abounded for Hungary’s next leader, Péter Magyar. But the outpouring after his stunning election focused mainly on who he’s not: outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a threat to Europe’s peace and prosperity.
From Madrid to Helsinki, many hope that Magyar's win will help unshackle the 27-nation European Union as it faces hybrid warfare attacks from Moscow, an antagonistic Washington and Beijing's economic pressure. EU leaders had been increasingly frustrated with Orbán over his takeover of democratic institutions and vetoing of strategic action like a 90-billion-euro loan for Ukraine.
It remains to be seen whether those hopes will be fulfilled. Magyar avoided talking about Ukraine or divisive issues like LGTBQ rights on the campaign trail, and was previously a long-time conservative insider in Orban's party. He told The Associated Press that he would work more closely with the EU and the 32-nation NATO mililtary alliance that was forged to thwart aggression from Moscow.
“All Hungarians know that this is a shared victory. Our homeland made up its mind. It wants to live again. It wants to be a European country,” Magyar said during his victory speech on Sunday.
Olga Oliker, the director of European Security at the International Crisis Group, said that "where Orban slowed actions and blocked consensus, Magyar, as he defines Hungary’s relationships with its European allies, to say nothing of those with Ukraine, Russia and the United States, can help shape the future of Europe.”
After Magyar takes his oath of office in May, the Hungarian prime minister could potentially lift Hungary's veto and enable the European Commission to provide Ukraine with the 90-billion-euro loan that Orbán had agreed to in December and then backtracked on, enraging his fellow leaders.
EU diplomats will discuss Wednesday how best to fast-track the funds to Kyiv, said a Cypriot official speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to be named. Cyprus currently holds the rotating EU presidency.
Hungary borders Ukraine, and the pro-Russian Orbán had long demonized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. While congratulating Magyar on X, Zelenskyy said that “we are ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as for the sake of Europe’s peace, security, and stability.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia respects the outcome of the Hungarian vote and expects to maintain contacts with the country’s new leadership.
He said that “as for what action Hungary’s new leadership will take, we probably need to be patient and see what happens.”
The prospect of a nimbler, faster-acting Europe drove widespread praise for Magyar from several European leaders. EU negotiators had to increasingly find workarounds when Orban blocked policy decisions. He also held up Sweden's accession to NATO.
Magyar said he received calls on Sunday night — before he even took the stage to announce his victory — from French President Emmanuel Macron, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was frequently vilified by Orbán during his campaign.
“A country returns to its European path. The Union grows stronger,” von der Leyen said.
“Today Europe wins and European values win,” said Spain’s left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a post on X on Sunday night. Poland’s center-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk exclaimed on social media: “Back together! Glorious victory, dear friends!”
Orbán's defeat has reverberated across the world, including to the United States where President Donald Trump supported Orbán’s reelection bid and even dispatched Vice President JD Vance to Budapest last week — in the midst of the Iran war — to stump for the incumbent.
Magyar's victory might signal a shift in European politics that has been dominated by a far-right shift over the past decade. Magyar comes from a right-wing background but distanced himself from Orban’s leadership.
With nationalist parties making headways in Germany and France, the electoral earthquake in Hungary shows that “Hungarians are sending a signal to the world” said German lawmaker Daniel Freund.
“The icon of illiberal anti-European forces has now failed — brought down by a disastrous economy, corruption, and his own unfair electoral system,” he said.
Orbán's populist allies in the EU, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, congratulated Magyar while praising the ousted strongman. But Fico also brought up the Druzhba pipeline, shuttered since an attack in Ukraine — an issue Orbán campaigned on and one exacerbated by rising energy prices over the Iran war. Magyar has criticized Orbán’s government for failing to diversify its energy mix, and advocated for reaching new agreements and constructing new infrastructure to bring oil and gas from other sources into landlocked Hungary. Both Babiš and Fico pledged to work with Hungary's next leader.
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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Karel Janicek in Prague, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade and Derek Gatopoulos in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
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