All posts tagged: Hungarian elections 2026

Poland’s fugitive former justice minister can’t rest easy in the US – POLITICO

Poland’s fugitive former justice minister can’t rest easy in the US – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Ziobro is wanted in Poland over the alleged misuse of public funds and the deployment of Pegasus spyware against political opponents. He has consistently denied the charges, calling the investigation a political vendetta from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He arrived in the U.S. earlier this month to work for right-wing Polish broadcaster TV Republika.  Reuters reported on Monday that U.S. Deputy Secretary ​of State Christopher Landau directed senior State Department officials to expedite a U.S. visa for Ziobro. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has close ties to the Law and Justice party. Sikorski said he has expressed Warsaw’s “displeasure” at Ziobro’s presence in the U.S. to American authorities. Ziobro has called the criminal charges against him “fabricated” and said he would fight extradition before a U.S. court rather than return to Poland.  Asked whether Poland would seek extradition, Sikorski said that was a separate process but noted that Warsaw has an extradition treaty with Washington. “The first thing is, of course, whether he’s a journalist, whether he’s entitled to that visa,” the foreign minister …

Former Polish Justice Minister Ziobro reportedly flees to US – POLITICO

Former Polish Justice Minister Ziobro reportedly flees to US – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Fugitive former Polish Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro is now in the United States courtesy of a visa from President Donald Trump after fleeing Hungary, local media report. Ziobro had been in Hungary since 2025 after former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán granted the disgraced minister asylum. New Hungarian leader Péter Magyar, however, promised to launch extradition proceedings against Ziobro upon taking office. Ziobro is wanted in Poland over the alleged misuse of public funds and the deployment of Pegasus spyware against political opponents. He has consistently denied the charges, calling the investigation a political vendetta from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Poland’s foreign ministry told local media on Sunday that it had no official information of Ziobro’s whereabouts, adding that his passport had been revoked. Source link

EU hails ‘new chapter’ as Magyar sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister – POLITICO

EU hails ‘new chapter’ as Magyar sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Magyar has vowed a reset with Brussels to try to secure around €10 billion in EU funds frozen as a result of backsliding over human rights and the rule of law in recent years. The center-right Hungarian flew to Brussels for talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last week as the new administration scrambles to meet an August deadline to show progress on reforms or risk losing access to the money altogether. Tisza, formed by Magyar in 2020 after he left Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party, won 141 of the 200 available parliamentary seats in April’s nationwide vote, giving the party the two-thirds supermajority required to make constitutional changes. Orbán, along with many of his top allies, has said he will not take his seat in the new parliament, but made an appearance Friday on a Hungarian-language YouTube channel to insist he would face any investigation into his conduct and is innocent of any wrongdoing. However, the departure of Orbán — who had consistently used his veto in the European Council to block …

Péter Magyar’s brother-in-law drops Hungary’s justice minister bid – POLITICO

Péter Magyar’s brother-in-law drops Hungary’s justice minister bid – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The reversal comes less than a week after Magyar publicly defended his decision to appoint his brother-in-law to one of the most powerful posts in the Hungarian government. Calling Melléthei-Barna’s professional competence “unquestionable,” the prime minister-designate argued concerns about nepotism were understandable, but manageable. Magyar also said his sister — who is a sitting judge in the Pest Central District Court — would step down from the bench “to avoid even the appearance of an intertwining of branches of power.” Magyar unveiled his first ministerial picks on April 20, days after ousting Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s April 12 election and ending the nationalist leader’s 16-year grip on power. Following Melléthei-Barna’s withdrawal, Magyar on Friday announced he had nominated Márta Görög, dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at the University of Szeged, for the justice minister post. The jurist is a regional president of the Hungarian Bar Association and a member of the division of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences specializing in legal matters. Hungary’s new parliament convenes on Saturday for an inaugural …

Orbán relinquishes seat in Hungary’s parliament – POLITICO

Orbán relinquishes seat in Hungary’s parliament – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In the April 12 parliamentary election, Péter Magyar’s Tisza party scored a supermajority, winning 141 seats out of 199 in the Hungarian national assembly, while Orbán’s Fidesz party came in a distant second with just 52 seats. Orbán said the Fidesz parliamentary grouping will be led by Gergely Gulyás, who has been serving as overseer of the Prime Minister’s Office. Orbán has held a seat in the parliament since 1990, and has led Fidesz throughout that period. He has served as Hungary’s prime minister since 2010. Magyar is expected to be installed as prime minister by parliament in early May. His party’s supermajority in the parliament could facilitate the swift approval of democratic reforms necessary to unlock €17 billion of EU funds that were frozen over rule-of-law shortcomings under Orbán’s tenure. Source link

13 things we learned at the EU summit in Cyprus – POLITICO

13 things we learned at the EU summit in Cyprus – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

8. Italy doesn’t want to pay for Brussels building work Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni isn’t happy about plans to renovate the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels (that’s the building just off the Schuman roundabout that looks like a 1970s leisure center and is next to the giant glass egg building). “We cannot propose renovating the European Council’s headquarters at a cost of €800 million. This is something Italy cannot afford, and it would send the wrong message to citizens,” Meloni said while in Cyprus. 9. Mutual defense needs work Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s mutual defense clause, Article 42.7, needs some gaming out if it’s going to work properly in practice. “The treaty is very clear about the what,” von der Leyen said, explaining member countries are obligated to come to each other’s aid. “The treaty is not clear about what happens when and who does what.” 10. Kids say the smartest things As he spoke with students under the shade of a tree at Nicosia Franco-Cypriot school, one of …

Orbán’s EU fixer faces becoming Hungary’s ‘fall guy’ – POLITICO

Orbán’s EU fixer faces becoming Hungary’s ‘fall guy’ – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“By definition, everybody understands of each other that the loyalty is to your political bosses and to delivering results to their instructions,” said Ivan Rogers, about national ambassadors to the EU, a role he performed for the U.K. in Brussels until 2017. And, whatever Ódor thought about these instructions personally, he followed them to the letter. While even those who worked closely with Ódor were uncertain about whether he was simply following orders or shared Orbán’s desire to bash Brussels, his reputation as the outgoing prime minister’s fixer may well be his downfall, according to five diplomats and officials from countries other than Hungary who worked with him closely, and who were granted anonymity to speak to POLITICO. It would be easy to think that, given Orbán’s loud anti-EU stance, his man in Brussels would be a blunt instrument. Quite the opposite. Ódor is an expert on its treaties and has a PhD in international relations. Universities back home use his books to teach students how Europe works. Hungary’s ambassador to the EU Bálint Ódor, …

Orbán’s exit leaves Israel exposed in Europe – POLITICO

Orbán’s exit leaves Israel exposed in Europe – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The push to ramp up pressure on Israel is in focus this week as the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas presides over a meeting of the Global Alliance for a Two-State Solution as well as at a gathering of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. Ministers are expected to raise the subject of West Bank sanctions and the Association Agreement — although one EU diplomat from a mid-sized EU country and the EU official quoted above said that countries might avoid moving ahead in deference to peace talks between Israel and Lebanon. Tensions ramp up The push to revisit sanctions comes as EU leaders intensify their criticism of Israel over its actions in Lebanon and over a controversial law, backed by Netanyahu, that authorizes the death penalty for terrorists from the Palestinian territories. Kallas blasted the bill — which comes ahead of Israeli elections due later this year — as a “grave regression,” in a statement issued on behalf of the bloc on March 31. Germany, France and the United Kingdom also warned that the law …

Hungary’s Tisza party widens parliamentary majority as final votes are counted – POLITICO

Hungary’s Tisza party widens parliamentary majority as final votes are counted – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Orbán’s Fidesz party came in a distant second with only 52 seats in the parliament. “Here are the results of the 2026 parliamentary election: an unprecedented majority, an unprecedented mandate — and, at the same time, an unprecedented responsibility,” Magyar wrote in an X post on Saturday. He added that he could be officially sworn in as prime minister in mid-May. Magyar’s supermajority could facilitate the swift approval of democratic reforms necessary to unlock €17 billion of EU funds that were frozen over rule-of-law shortcomings under Orbán’s tenure. Under the current rules, the Hungarian government has to fulfill 27 EU-mandated conditions — officially known as “super milestones” — that will reform the country’s procurement rules, and increase judicial independence and academic freedom as a precondition to claim any funding. Over the weekend, Magyar and his future ministers held talks in Budapest with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s chief of staff, Bjoern Seibert, and several director-generals. The goal was to outline a roadmap to release the money and discuss a €90 billion loan to Ukraine that was …