Zsuzsanna Végh, a political analyst at the German Marshall Fund, called this “a milestone election” for Hungary when speaking to TIME ahead of Election Day. Magyar’s party winning the election signifies Hungarian voters’ rejection of Orbán’s far-right movement. Before Election Day, Végh said that the rise of Magyar and his party creates “a realistic chance to oust Orbán and potentially reform the country to halt the autocratization that we have seen over the past decade and a half and return to a more democratic way of governance and just generally operation of the state.”
Whether Magyar will follow through on the reforms he has promised remains to be seen.
His party looks set to secure a two-thirds majority, an outcome which Végh previously said would give him “almost a free hand to actually reform the country.”
What the election could mean for the EU
Under Orbán’s leadership, Hungary’s relationship with the EU has grown increasingly contentious over the years. The Prime Minister has “become a thorn in the side of the European Union,” Bergmann said, often using his veto power in a way that has hindered the EU’s response to various issues, particularly the war in Ukraine. Hungary has, for instance, blocked the EU’s attempts to impose sanctions against Russia over the war, as well as to support Ukraine.
