Tisza leader has promised to repair Budapest’s ties with Brussels after years of strained relations under Viktor Orbán
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Péter Magyar’s resounding election victory brings an end to 16 years of rightwing populist rule under Viktor Orbán. But the effects of that win are likely to be felt well beyond Hungary’s borders, from Brussels to Moscow and from Kyiv to Washington.
Orbán’s frequent efforts to undermine the EU’s attempts at collective action – not to mention his proud defence of the “illiberal democracy” that Hungary became on his watch – exasperated and infuriated the European Commission. His vetoing of a massive EU loan to Ukraine and his strategy of delaying, and sometimes opposing, EU sanctions on Russia, left the bloc looking toothless and divided.
Meanwhile, his contempt for democratic norms, failure to tackle corruption, disdain for the rule of law and his crackdowns on the media led the commission to suspend billions of euros in funding to Hungary.
