Peter Magyar was sworn in on Saturday as Hungary’s new prime minister, almost one month after parliamentary elections brought an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule.
Magyar, 45, leader of the centre-right Tisza party, took the oath of office inside Hungary’s neo-Gothic parliament building in Budapest after his party secured a sweeping victory in the April 12 election. Tisza won 141 of the 199 parliamentary seats, giving the new government a two-thirds majority and broad power to pursue institutional reforms.
Addressing supporters, Magyar invited Hungarians to “step through the gate of regime change,” framing his government as a break from years of political centralisation, corruption allegations and strained relations with the European Union. His inauguration marks one of the most significant political transitions in Hungary since the post-communist era.
In a symbolic move, the European Union flag was displayed again inside parliament for the first time in 12 years. Newly elected parliamentary speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer ordered its reinstatement, describing it as an early sign of Hungary’s return toward Europe.
Magyar now faces the difficult task of rebuilding relations with Brussels after years of disputes under Orbán over rule of law, media freedom, judicial independence and democratic standards. His government aims to unlock about €17 billion to $20 billion in frozen EU funding, which Brussels withheld over concerns about governance and human rights under the previous administration.
The new prime minister has also promised to revive Hungary’s sluggish economy, tackle corruption and restore public trust in state institutions. Reuters reported that the government inherits a strained budget, with the deficit already approaching a large share of its full-year target by April and projected to remain a major challenge in 2026.
Magyar’s rise has been striking. A former insider in Orbán’s political orbit, he broke with the ruling establishment and built Tisza into a powerful opposition force on a platform of clean governance, economic renewal and closer Western alignment.
Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance, once dominant in Hungarian politics, was reduced to 52 seats. Orbán, who had been a central figure in parliament since 1990, was absent from the chamber for the first time in decades.
For Magyar, the transition brings both opportunity and pressure. His large majority gives him room to act quickly, but expectations are high among voters who backed him as a vehicle for political change, economic recovery and a reset with Europe.
