On April 12, Victor Orbán, the prime minister of Hungary, lost the country’s 2026 election after 16 years in power. He was defeated by Péter Magyar, who will be sworn into the position in early May.
Magyar, originally a member of Orbán’s Fidesz party, split from Orbán into the Tisza party in 2024. The center-right Tisza party is known for its pro-EU views. Magyar’s platform stressed the importance of implementing anti-corruption measures, judiciary independence and freedom of speech within the media.
One of Magyar’s priorities is to strengthen economic relations with the EU. Leaders of several EU countries, including Spain, Poland, France, Britain, Denmark, Romania, Sweden and more, have celebrated Magyar’s win as a potential path towards improving the Hungary-EU relations Orbán had suppressed.
Magyar’s victory has been celebrated throughout the world, especially by democratic leaders. Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, said the election was “a very clear signal against right-wing populism.”
Orbán was strongly criticized by Hungarians for the actions he took against Ukraine and his policies, which caused an economic crisis.
Experts have noted that Magyar was aided by the country’s struggling economy leading up to the election on April 12. Orbán also blocked a €90 billion EU loan package supporting humanitarian aid and resources in Ukraine earlier this year. Magyar stated unfreezing the loan was one of his first priorities after being elected.
Magyar received a two-thirds majority in the parliamentary election, the number of seats required to change the constitution, a crucial priority for Magyar as Orbán’s past electoral victories have allowed him to change the country into what some experts call an “illiberal democracy.”
Hungary was a young democracy when Orbán came into power, established after the fall of the Berlin Wall and Soviet Union collapse in the 1990s. The Hungarian illiberal democracy was one of the first delegitimized democracies, leading the global wave of autocratization.
Orbán then appointed his supporters into Hungarian courts and local media agencies. As a result, he has been subject to corruption accusations from various global leaders. Despite this, Orbán has managed to retain power for the last 16 years. The lack of established democratic institutions allowed Orbán to begin amending the constitution in his favor.
The election results will be finalized and confirmed on May 4. Throughout Magyar’s campaign, he promoted democratic values and security. He aims to eliminate state-funded propaganda, improve the country’s economic situation and remove biases from its democratic institutions.
Timothy Sisk, professor of international and comparative politics at the Korbel School, highlighted the role of youth activists in facilitating regime change both in and outside Hungary. The new generation of voters have been making waves in many countries for younger, more democratic leaders. Younger generations have a strong sense of urgency for democracy and more opportunities. Without stable governance that guarantees security for younger populations in their country, many students have expressed interests in immigration in search of opportunities.
“The Hungarian election outcomes are by all means yet another example of Gen Z, youth-led protests globally that, in this case, have led to clear regime change,” Dr. Sisk said.
He described how the generation has been part of a global wave of protests criticizing corrupt, elitist leaders, as seen in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Morocco. These activists have often targeted older, nationalist leaders, and elected younger politicians to serve in their positions, Sisk explained.
Following this trend, Prime Minister-elect Magyar is 17 years younger than Orbán.
Many of the protestors are driven by concerns around their national economies and climate change, Sisk said. Leaders who fail to provide economic security and respond to climate threats have not been accepted.
Sisk hopes that “the Magyar election in Hungary’s 2026 elections may portend a global trend away from autocracy toward democracy.”
