Péter Magyar to be sworn in as Hungary prime minister as Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule ends

Péter Magyar will be sworn in as the new Hungarian prime minister after winning last month’s election
Hungary has entered a new political chapter as Péter Magyar arrived at the Parliament building on Saturday to be sworn in as prime minister , marking the end of Viktor Orbán ’s 16-year rule.

Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party delivered a stunning blow to Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz last month, securing more votes and parliamentary seats than any other party in Hungary’s post-Communist history.

This victory is poised to dismantle many of the policies that earned Orbán a reputation among critics as a far-right authoritarian, address alleged corruption, and reshape Hungary’s dynamics within the European Union , where Orbán frequently vetoed key decisions.

On Saturday, Magyar entered the sprawling neo-Gothic parliament alongside 140 of his party representatives, now controlling 141 of Hungary's 199 seats.

Orbán’s absence from the inaugural session, a first since Hungary’s first post-Communist Parliament formed in 1990, underscores the profound shift.

Following his defeat, Orbán stated he would focus on rebuilding his nationalist-populist political community.

Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer who founded Tisza in 2024 after years as an insider within Orbán’s party, has pledged to eradicate official corruption, which he argues has deprived Hungarians of economic opportunity.

The new prime minister has called on citizens to attend an all-day "regime-change" celebration outside Parliament to commemorate his inauguration and the conclusion of the Orbán era.

He is expected to address the crowd after taking his oath.

A key priority for Magyar is to mend Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU, which Orbán had pushed to breaking point, and to restore the country’s standing among Western democracies, a position questioned as Orbán drew closer to Russia .

Unlocking approximately €17 billion (£14.5 billion) in EU funds, frozen during Orbán’s tenure over rule-of-law and corruption concerns, is paramount for Hungary’s struggling economy, which has stagnated for the past four years.

In a symbolic gesture, Tisza officials have announced they will reinstate the EU flag on the Parliament building’s facade, removed by Orbán’s government in 2014.

Budapest ’s liberal mayor, Gergely Karácsony, extended an open invitation to a celebration by the Danube River later on Saturday, marking Orbán’s fall and the formation of the new government.

Karácsony posted on social media, expressing gratitude to Hungarians who had long opposed Orbán’s system: "Teachers fired, civilians and journalists humiliated, small churches torn apart."
He concluded: "We can finally leave this era behind us — but first, let us remember the everyday heroes and express our gratitude with a farewell to the system."