The outcome of Hungary's election, which brought an end to the long tenure of Viktor Orban and ushered in Peter Magyar, serves as a timely reminder of a principle that is often spoken of but not always fully appreciated: the will of the people remains sacrosanct. For years, Orban appeared politically unassailable. Sixteen years in power had allowed
I first heard of Péter Magyar through his former wife, Judit Varga. I came to know Judit at the Council of the European Union, when I was serving as Minister for European Affairs and she was Hungary’s Minister for EU Relations, and, later, when l became a European Commissioner. By that time, Judit had become Minister for Justice and one of the most
Péter Magyar’s landslide victory over Viktor Orbán in Hungary is nothing short of extraordinary. Two years ago, Magyar’s political party, Tisza, did not even register in the public’s mind. Now it has secured a constitutional majority that may well allow it to uproot the entrenched system of “illiberal democracy” that Orbán built over the past 16 years
In the last decade or so, the EU has faced a barrage which threatened its very existence – from Brexit to the Ukraine war to the rise of the far-right – Europe has struggled to retain focus. Which is why the landslide defeat of Viktor Orbán to Péter Magyar in Hungary’s elections was welcome indeed. Orbán’s removal increases the capacity of the EU to
