Europe cheers Orbán defeat as a bloody nose for the Kremlin – but Hungary’s future remains contested

The ousting of Hungary’s conservative nationalist leader Viktor Orbán is being hailed as a victory for liberal democracy and the European Union.

The leaders of Poland, France and Germany, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, were among the major EU figures to congratulate Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar on Monday, after he won a decisive victory in the country’s election on Sunday.

The ousted Prime Minister made regular use of Hungary’s veto power to block EU decisions, fiercely criticized the bloc and impeded assistance to Ukraine in support of his ally Vladimir Putin — notably obstructing billions of dollars worth of loans and funding to Kyiv.

EU critics also say the 62-year-old’s creation of Hungary’s “illiberal state” stepped on rule-of-law commitments the country made when it joined the bloc.

Von der Leyen said: “Hungary has chosen Europe. A country reclaims its European path. The union grows stronger.”