On April 12, 2026, 45-year-old politician and lawyer Péter Magyar was elected as the new prime minister of Hungary. He beat the current prime minister, Viktor Orbán, who would have started his fifth consecutive term as prime minister of Hungary. 

Magyar’s victory can be explained by the record turnout of voters that has not been seen since the fall of communism in the 1990s and the voters’ interest in addressing corruption in the government. Magyar entered the political scene most prominently in 2024 and eventually became the leader of a center-right party called the Tisza Party. Many of his family members were prominent conservatives in Hungary, such as his godfather, who served as president of Hungary from 2000 to 2005. After winning the election, Magyar gave a speech in which he emphasized his intentions to strengthen Hungary’s relationship with NATO and the European Union, as well as to get rid of corruption. He was addressing how the European Union had been holding off on giving Hungary billions of dollars worth in funding because Orbán was not practicing a democracy. 

After the Tisza party won the preliminary elections, Péter Magyar speaks to his supporters in Budapest, Hungary. 

Magyar winning the election in a landslide was not expected because he did not have nearly as much presence in the media, funding, or attention as Orbán and his political party. Magyar’s political party also now has a two-thirds majority in the parliament meaning they have the power to enact these democratic changes he wants to make.