Magyar Sworn In As Hungary's Prime Minister, Ending Orbán’s 16-year Rule

BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s Peter Magyar took his oath of agency connected Saturday to go nan country’s caller premier minister, kicking disconnected a caller governmental era aft 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s autocratic rule.

Magyar’s center-right Tisza statement overwhelmingly defeated Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz past month, gaining much votes and seats successful parliament than immoderate different statement successful Hungary’s post-Communist history.

The win, which gave Tisza a two-thirds parliamentary majority, will let it to rotation backmost galore of nan policies that gave Orbán a estimation arsenic a far-right authoritarian.

In a reside to tens of thousands of supporters successful a quadrate extracurricular nan parliament building aft being sworn in, nan caller premier curate told nan crowd: “Today, each freedom-loving personification successful nan world wants to beryllium a small Hungarian.”

“You person taught nan state and nan world that it is nan astir ordinary, flesh-and-blood group that tin conclusion nan astir vicious tyranny,” Magyar said to roaring applause.

As Hungary’s caller leader, Magyar has vowed to reconstruct antiauthoritarian institutions and governmental checks and balances that were heavy eroded during Orbán’s rule, and to clamp down connected alleged corruption.

His management is expected to toggle shape governmental dynamics wrong nan European Union, wherever nan erstwhile premier curate had upended nan bloc by often vetoing cardinal decisions, astir precocious concerning support for neighboring Ukraine.

A parliament without Orbán

On Saturday, Magyar, a 45-year-old lawyer who founded Tisza successful 2024, entered nan sprawling neo-Gothic parliament building alongside 140 of his statement representatives.

Tisza now controls 141 seats successful Hungary’s 199-seat parliament. Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP conjugation controls 52 seats, down from 135, while nan far-right Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland) statement holds six seats.

The 199 representatives took their oaths of agency astir 11 a.m. Orbán was not among them for nan first clip since Hungary’s first post-Communist parliament was formed successful 1990.

Magyar earlier called connected Hungarians to be an all-day “regime change” ceremony connected Kossuth Square extracurricular parliament to people his inauguration and nan extremity of nan Orbán era. Many of those gathered waved Hungarian and EU flags and wore Tisza T-shirts.

In his speech, Magyar delivered a connection of unity, and promised to thief heal nan heavy societal divisions he said Orbán’s authorities had sown.

“Today is nan fulfillment of nan agelong travel that we person made together successful caller years, nan fulfillment of nan communal belief that Hungary is capable to get backmost connected its feet, is capable to judge successful itself and to erstwhile again beryllium a communal homeland for each Hungarians,” he said.

Hungary’s caller National Assembly has 54 female lawmakers, astir from nan Tisza statement — much than a 4th of nan full and nan astir successful Hungary’s history.

An attendee astatine nan celebration, Andrea Szepesi, an economist from Budapest, said it was “about time” that much women held seats successful parliament. Under Orbán’s rule, location were less women successful authorities than successful astir each of nan EU’s different 26 nations.

“Finally, women are capable to participate successful this new, beautiful antiauthoritarian strategy and nan flourishing of nan country,” Szepesi told nan Associated Press.

Repairing EU relations

Magyar has promised to repair his country’s ties pinch nan European Union, which Orbán had pushed to a breaking point, and to reconstruct Hungary’s spot among Western democracies, whose opinionated had been called into mobility arsenic Orbán drifted ever person to Russia.

The EU emblem was raised connected nan parliament building’s destruction Saturday day for nan first clip since Orbán’s authorities removed it successful 2014.

Unlocking astir $20 cardinal of EU costs for Hungary stiff during Orbán’s clip successful agency complete rule-of-law and corruption allegations is besides among nan caller premier minister’s apical priorities. The money is sorely needed to thief jump-start Hungary’s struggling economy, which has stagnated for nan past 4 years.

Another attendee of nan celebration, 27-year-old web designer Áron Farsang, said he expects nan caller Tisza authorities to reconstruct Hungary’s antiauthoritarian institutions and to “lead america backmost toward nan European Union.”

“I would besides really for illustration it if we could get free of nan Russian power arsenic soon arsenic possible,” he said. “I’m reasoning astir power dependency and their wide governmental style.”

Accounting for nan past

Many of nan astir 3.4 cardinal Hungarians who voted for Tisza expect Magyar to clasp Fidesz officials and their business friends accountable for nan perceived misconduct of nan outgoing administration.

In his reside to nan National Assembly, he called connected Fidesz-appointed heads of authorities institutions, including President Tamás Sulyok, to resign nary later than May 31.

Magyar plans to shape a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, an authority tasked pinch investigating and seeking to retrieve nationalist costs misused during Orbán’s tenure. He’s besides vowed to suspend nan news services of Hungary’s nationalist broadcaster — wide seen arsenic a mouthpiece of Orbán’s statement — until objectivity tin beryllium restored.

In his reside to lawmakers, Magyar referenced his intentions to clasp erstwhile officials accountable for past abuses, saying voters had “given america a instruction to unfastened a caller section successful Hungary’s history.

“We must understand, however, that location tin beryllium nary caller opening without reconciliation. There tin beryllium nary reconciliation without justice. And location tin beryllium nary justness without confronting nan past,” he said.

Spike writes for nan Associated Press.