With one of the EU’s last openly left-wing migration agendas and a high-profile clash with Donald Trump over the Middle East, Sánchez’s fight for survival in Madrid could reshape Europe’s political balance in 2027.
Péter Magyar’s new government has moved with startling speed in its first days in office, combining symbolic political gestures with sweeping institutional changes aimed at dismantling key pillars of Viktor Orbán’s system. As ministers tour the extravagant interiors of the former regime, the new administration is promising transparency, legal reckoning and a rapid reorientation towards Europe.
In his inaugural speech before parliament, Peter Magyar promised accountability, democratic renewal and national reconciliation, while condemning the corruption, propaganda and institutional decay of the previous era. He vowed to restore the rule of law, rebuild trust in public institutions and urgently unlock frozen EU funds. “This is your change of system,” Magyar told thousands gathered outside parliament on Budapest’s Kossuth Square, where supporters celebrated the beginning of what he called “a free, democratic Hungary”.
Less than a month after the historic defeat of Viktor Orban, events are moving at speed. A billionaire backer of the propaganda ministry breaks down in tears on television, 65 percent of polled Hungarians think Orban should be on trial, an Orban-supporting news programme closes, plus a clash of parties celebrating the new parliament in Budapest.
As Péter Magyar prepares to take the helm of Hungary on 9 May, the era of “super-ministries” and party loyalists is being dismantled in favour of an Atlanticist, expert-led cabinet. From a former Shell global vice-president managing the economy to a Nato-backed diplomat steering foreign policy, the incoming Tisza government marks a radical shift back toward the European mainstream. We look at the key figures — from banking titans to world-renowned surgeons — tasked with restoring the rule of law and bringing the euro to Budapest.
In Bulgaria, the well-established right-wing party GERB could be beaten in the legislative elections this Sunday. Just like in Hungary last week, it’s not an outsider challenging the established government, but a familiar figure: the former president of the country, Rumen Radev.
In just four days, Peter Magyar has already taken aim at state media structures, criticised senior institutional figures, and signalled a symbolic break with the past by relocating the prime minister’s office away from Viktor Orbán’s former power base, while the opposition has largely collapsed and the political map has been dramatically redrawn. Yet despite promises to restore democratic competition, early indications point to continuity in several nationalist policy areas, leaving Brussels watching closely to see whether Hungary’s reset will bring a meaningful shift in its EU stance or simply usher in a new domestic power configuration.
![Hungarian political scientist Eszter Kováts: 'The whistleblowing in the final weeks of the campaign showed that the police and military weren't fully behind him [Viktor Orban]
Photo: Tomas Benedikovic](https://static.euobserver.com/2026/04/eszterkovats-2400x1601.jpg)
“He didn’t fall into Viktor Orbán’s culture war trap — like the opposition always did.” Hungarian political scientist Eszter Kováts explains the rise of Péter Magyar. The liberals and the mainstream rightwing European parties expect much more from him than he is ready to give, in her opinion. “But he will not be Orbán,” she says.
Hungary’s political landscape has been upended: after 16 years in power, Viktor Orbán’s system has collapsed following a landslide defeat. From the limits of propaganda and corruption to a resurgent independent press and a new generation of voters, 10 key lessons explain how a seemingly entrenched illiberal model unravelled — and what comes next for Hungary and Europe.
A rare, unscripted moment pierced Hungary’s tightly controlled political landscape on election day, when I found myself face-to-face with a senior Orbán minister in a polling queue.
László Mérő, the mathematician and psychologist turned public intellectual, says Fidesz’s rhetoric now echoes the language of the Third Reich and argues that the hatred shaping Hungarian politics has been consciously manufactured. In a wide-ranging interview, he reflects on Orbán’s transformation, the failures of the past 16 years, and why he believes the country could still change course.
With three days to go before Hungary’s election, the opposition Tisza party is riding high in the final independent polls, while leaked recordings, allegations of false-flag tactics and a high-profile visit by JD Vance intensify the sense of a system under strain. Whether this is the beginning of an historic transfer of power or the moment the pollsters get it spectacularly wrong will soon be clear.
THIS WEEK: Hungarians go to the polls, while Middle East keeps Nato on the brinkThis week, Hungarians vote in an era-defining election as Viktor Orbán faces his biggest challenge in 16 years. Meanwhile, Nato chief Mark Rutte visits Washington to ease the rift with Donald Trump over the high-stakes blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
With less than two weeks to go to Viktor Orbán make-or-break election, increasingly paranoid accusations of spying for Ukraine against opponents, muscled strongmen disrupting protestors who heckle the PM on his rare nationwide campaign rally, and a visibly angry Orbán tells young opponent of his regime to ‘say thank you’.
A whistleblower’s explosive testimony points to a covert operation targeting Hungary’s opposition — raising urgent questions about state power, intelligence agencies and the integrity of the upcoming election.
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz needs fewer votes than the opposition Tisza party to stay in power, as the electoral system still favours the incumbent. In this article, we examine the most likely developments after the Hungarian elections on 12 April.
A leaked transcript of a 2020 phone call suggests Hungary’s foreign minister sought Moscow’s help to bolster a Slovak ally ahead of a pivotal election, raising fresh questions about Budapest’s ties to the Kremlin and deepening concerns within the EU over trust, influence and the handling of sensitive information.
In France and across Europe, the right casts the left as a threat. Yet left-wing parties still find ways to unite at the ballot box. At the same time, far-right actors are increasingly normalised, while anti-capitalist groups are pushed to the political margins.
With just over three weeks to go, a literal ‘false flag’ operation at a Tisza rally, a potential JD Vance (but not Donald Trump) visit, some suspect candidates name-changing to confuse voters, and the latest opinion polling.
Crowds pack the historic square of Eger on Tuesday, as Viktor Orbán campaigns like a rock star, drawing cheers and criticism alike. Supporters praise stability; sceptics cite failing services and demand change. With rival Péter Magyar gaining ground, Hungary’s election race reveals a country split between loyalty, fear, and growing political tension.