Following his election victory, Péter Magyar, chairman of the TISZA Party, addressed the international press on Monday. Backed by an overwhelming mandate, he outlined the radical restructuring of the Hungarian State, the return to Europe, and the end of what he labelled the “Orbán system.”
Péter Magyar said that he now intends to “restore the democratic institutions that were systematically weakened under his predecessor, Viktor Orbán.” He announced that he would ask President Tamás Sulyok to begin the process of forming a government as soon as possible.
Hungary has “no time to lose,” as the country finds itself in a precarious economic and political situation, he emphasized.
Regarding regional alliances, the party leader aims to expand cooperation. He emphasized that he not only wants to revive the Visegrád Group (V4) but also potentially expand it into a “V8” by including countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, and even Romania. While he takes a firm stance toward Slovakia regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority, he signaled close economic and cultural cooperation with Serbia and Romania.
One of the politician’s central promises is the immediate restoration of the rule of law to unlock blocked EU funds.
His first official actions are expected to include:
- Adoption of anti-corruption measures
- Accession to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)
- Establishment of a National Office for Asset Recovery and Asset Protection
- Enacting a constitutional limit on the prime minister’s term of office to a maximum of eight years.
On the international stage, Magyar announced a shift in policy. His first foreign trip will take him to Warsaw to “heal the Polish-Hungarian friendship damaged by Viktor Orbán,” as he put it.
While he described Ukraine as a victim of Russian aggression and emphasized its territorial integrity, he remained pragmatic toward Moscow.
Péter Magyar at his international press conference (Photo: Illyés Tibor/MTI)
“Geography cannot be changed,” explained the election winner. He aims to diversify energy sources but will review existing contracts based on economic rationality and will not terminate them for ideological reasons, he said.
Magyar has claimed that he will make a clear break with the Orbán-era on the issue of Ukraine, but on the surface, his policies are indistinguishable from the one’s of his predecessor. “Ukraine is the victim in this war,” Magyar clarified. He fully recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the neighboring country based on the Budapest Memorandum, and emphasized that no external party has the right to pressure Ukraine into ceding territory. Nevertheless, safeguarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia remains a precondition for the normalization of relations—a point he intends to discuss personally with the Ukrainian president shortly. At the same time, he warned that Russia remains a security risk for which Europe must be prepared.
On migration, the TISZA Party maintains a restrictive stance but strikes a “more European tone,”
he explained.
Magyar announced that he would maintain and even repair the border fence in the south of Hungary. In addition, he rejects the current EU migration pact and distribution mechanisms. His approach would involve providing aid on the ground and intelligently adhering to EU rules, which would make it possible to prevent illegal migration without having to pay the EU’s daily fines of millions of euros—fines he described as a consequence of Orbán’s “inept policies.” In this regard, there is no tangible shift at all from Orbán’s stance, at least not on the level of declarations.
Relations with Washington are also set to be built on a new foundation. Magyar described the election results in Hungary as a defeat for the global MAGA movement, since, in his view, Orbán was its European figurehead. He announced his intention to further develop a “close alliance” with the U.S., regardless of who is in the White House, albeit with attacks on the MAGA sphere he is unlikely to make progress with its current occupant.
While he does not plan to call Donald Trump directly, he is available to the U.S. administration at any time for talks to fully exploit the partnership’s potential.
The election winner made it clear that Hungary would no longer be a “dumping ground for internationally wanted criminals.” He was thereby hinting at the extradition of individuals such as former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro and his deputy Marcin Romanowski, political refugees who have fled Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s purge of former conservative politicians, as well as former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
Péter Magyar at his international press conference (Photo: Róbert Hegedüs/MTI)
Domestically, Magyar plans a radical overhaul of the media landscape, which should ring alarm bells with every independent journalist in the country. He intends to temporarily suspend public broadcasting until “a cross-party committee can guarantee objective reporting.” “We will not build a propaganda machine; we will dismantle it,” he promised.
When asked what distinguishes him from his predecessor, Magyar replied: “Almost everything.”
Looking ahead to Hungary’s future within the EU, he struck a conciliatory tone. “We are not going to Brussels to fight, but to be partners.” He wants to make Hungary a “proud, European, and sovereign country” where pluralism and expertise take precedence over party loyalty. He did not explain why he thinks that these conditions are currently not met.
At the start of the press conference, Magyar announced that from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. he would be conducting more than a dozen scheduled phone calls with European and other top politicians—a clear signal that Hungary’s diplomatic reset has begun.
Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Illyés Tibor
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