A flag of the European Union flutters from the facade of the Hungarian Parliament on the day Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar takes his oath of office and the inaugural session of the parliament, in Budapest, Hungary, May 9, 2026. LEONHARD FOEGER / REUTERS
The newly appointed speaker of Hungary's parliament ordered the EU flag be hung back on the building on Saturday, May 9, ending its long absence under nationalist Viktor Orban, who was voted from power on April 12.
Minutes after lawmakers overwhelmingly elected her to lead the incoming chamber, Agnes Forsthoffer said: "Let my first decision as Speaker of the House be the first symbolic step on this path [back to Europe]. I hereby order that, as of today, after 12 years, the flag of the European Union be returned to the Hungarian Parliament building."
Pro-European conservative Péter Magyar will be sworn in as prime minister this afternoon, on a promise of "regime change" after Orban's 16 years in power. The former government insider-turned-critic scored a landslide victory last month, pledging wide-ranging reforms to fight corruption.
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