Peter Magyar Sworn In, Ending Viktor Orban’s 16-Year Rule

Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister in Budapest on Saturday, closing Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power and opening a new test for a country worn down by democratic strain, economic stagnation and distrust with Brussels. The ceremony inside the neo-Gothic Hungarian parliament building carried unusual symbolism: the European Union flag was displayed there for the first time in 12 years.

Magyar arrives with the kind of parliamentary strength that can reshape the state if he chooses to use it. His Tisza party won 141 of the 199 seats in April, a result that gave him a two-thirds majority and the power to amend Hungary’s constitution. That margin also underscored how sharply Orbán’s Fidesz machine had been reduced after years of dominance.

The immediate question is whether Magyar’s promises of change can move beyond symbolism. His government inherits a weak economy that only recently emerged from stagnation, along with an excessive deficit procedure already hanging over Hungary’s public finances. Brussels also has about €10 billion in Hungarian funds frozen over rule-of-law concerns, money that Magyar needs to unlock if he wants to show voters that a new administration can deliver practical gains rather than just a new face at the top.

Magyar had gone to Brussels before taking office and met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a signal that restoring ties with the European Union is a priority from day one. European Council President António Costa welcomed the change and said the EU was ready to work with the new Hungarian government, a notably warmer posture than the confrontation that defined much of Orbán’s rule. Magyar has also said the prime minister’s office will leave the Carmelite Palace and move to a ministry building near parliament, another visible break with the centralised power politics of the past 16 years.

For Hungary, the swearing-in was more than a transfer of office. It was a referendum on whether a pro-European government can unwind a system built around executive control, budget strain and conflict with the EU, while proving to a skeptical public that reform in Budapest can still mean something tangible.