All posts tagged: Hungarian elections 2026

Magyar to relocate Hungarian prime minister’s office in shot at Orbán – POLITICO

Magyar to relocate Hungarian prime minister’s office in shot at Orbán – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Hungary’s premier-elect Péter Magyar said he would relocate the prime minister’s office in Budapest once he is sworn in. “Under the Tisza government, the Prime Minister’s Office will not be based in the Carmelite Palace in the Castle District, which Viktor Orbán had set up for himself, but in one of the ministry buildings near parliament,” Magyar wrote on X on Thursday. The baroque Carmelite Monastery in Buda, on the western side of the Danube, historically served as a Catholic monastery and later as a theater before being converted into Prime Minister Orbán’s office in 2019 at a cost reported to be more than €50 million. Hungary’s parliament building, one of Budapest’s most iconic landmarks, is located on the eastern bank of the river. The move marks another effort by Magyar to distance himself from his predecessor, after he appeared on Orbán-affiliated state television to announce that he would suspend their operations. In an interview Wednesday, Magyar described the broadcaster as a “factory of lies” and said he would “immediately suspend the false news service.” Magyar’s …

Can an ex-fighter-jet pilot run Bulgaria? – POLITICO

Can an ex-fighter-jet pilot run Bulgaria? – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Viktor Orbán may be out — but his man in Brussels is not. Today on the pod, Ian and Sarah discuss how the Hungarian Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi is expected to stay on in the Berlaymont after his Fidesz party’s landslide election loss back home. They explain why neither the Commission nor the new Hungarian government are in a rush to get rid of the Orbán ally. Next, they talk about the frontrunner in Bulgaria’s upcoming vote — an ex-fighter jet pilot. It’s the eighth election in five years and voters are hoping for the country to regain political stability. Plus, chaos has hit airports around Europe as the EU rolls out its new digital border control system. People are missing their flights and waiting in queues for hours. Has your flight travel been disturbed by this new Entry/Exit system? We want to hear from you! You can contact us on WhatsApp here or on +32 491 05 06 29. Source link

Defeated Viktor Orbán to skip next week’s EU leaders summit – POLITICO

Defeated Viktor Orbán to skip next week’s EU leaders summit – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

BRUSSELS ― Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will not attend the informal meeting of the European Council in Cyprus next week, an EU official told POLITICO. Orbán suffered a crushing loss in Sunday’s general election that put an end to his 16-year premiership. He was scheduled to attend the two-day gathering on April 23 -24, during which national leaders are set to discuss the crisis in the Middle East and the bloc’s next seven-year budget. The nationalist-populist leader remains Hungary’s caretaker prime minister until his rival, Péter Magyar, takes power in May. Source link

Der Orbán-Schock – POLITICO

Der Orbán-Schock – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Die Abwahl von Viktor Orbán erschüttert die AfD. Für Alice Weidel bricht ein zentraler strategischer Anker in Europa weg. Pauline von Pezold und Frederik Schindler besprechen unter anderem, warum die Niederlage in Ungarn die Machtkämpfe in der AfD-Außenpolitik neu befeuert. Nach einer beispiellosen öffentlichen Schlammschlacht ist der verteidigungspolitische Sprecher zurückgetreten. Ein Blick hinter die Kulissen eines Konflikts, in dem es um mehr als Wehrpflicht und NATO ging, sondern auch um Machtfragen. ⁠Eine Einschätzung von Frederik Schindler lest ihr auch hier. ⁠ Während die Parteispitze die Vetternwirtschaft-Affäre totschweigen will, sorgen die neuen „Untersuchungsausschüsse“ für Kopfschütteln. In Sachsen-Anhalt prüfen Vertraute ihre eigenen Mentoren , und in Niedersachsen soll ausgerechnet der als rechtsextrem eingestufte Jens Maier die Korruption aufklären. „Inside AfD“ ist der POLITICO-Deutschland-Podcast über die umstrittenste Partei des Landes. Trotz Radikalisierung und Beobachtung durch den Verfassungsschutz wächst die AfD weiter. Wie ist das möglich? Was treibt ihre Anhänger, Strategen und Gegner an? Wie funktioniert das Innenleben der Partei? Und was bedeutet ihr Aufstieg für das politische System Deutschlands? Antworten liefern immer mittwochs ⁠Pauline von Pezold⁠ von POLITICO …

Vance, after rallying in Hungary for Orbán, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeat – POLITICO

Vance, after rallying in Hungary for Orbán, says he wasn’t surprised by the autocrat’s defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

But the Hungarian election had been a major priority just days earlier. JD Vance had traveled to Budapest last week and while Trump didn’t make the trip himself, he did call into the rally. And that eleventh hour campaign push came weeks after another visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump, in his remarks via telephone during Orbán’s rally aside Vance last week, credited the autocrat for his strict immigration policy in particular, stating that he “kept your country strong, and he kept your country good, and you don’t have problems with all of the problems that so many other countries have.” Beyond his own immigration crackdown with an expanded and hyper-aggressive core of immigration agents deployed in dozens of American cities, Trump has modeled other aspects of his governance on Orbán’s own actions, be it vociferously attacking judges, bullying the media into greater submission or hollowing out the government by firing career civil servants. But in Hungary, voters revolted amid a heightened focus on Orbán’s endemic corruption during a period of economic stagnation. “This is …

Orbán loses, Magyar wins, Europe reacts — live updates – POLITICO

Orbán loses, Magyar wins, Europe reacts — live updates – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Viktor Orbán was ousted as prime minister of Hungary after Péter Magyar won a stunning victory in the national election on Sunday. Longtime leader Orbán, Europe’s most prominent populist-nationalist politician, had frustrated Brussels’ agenda on multiple files, including a €90B loan to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia. After 16 years in power, Orbán’s exit is set to change EU dynamics. Follow all the reaction below to Orbán’s loss, as Brussels gears up for the new reality in Budapest. Source link

Can an ex-fighter-jet pilot run Bulgaria? – POLITICO

After 16 years, Viktor Orbán loses – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

It’s the end of an era: Hungary’s Viktor Orbán is on the way out after suffering a crushing defeat in Hungary’s general election. Péter Magyar, who will take his place as prime minister, is on course to win a supermajority in parliament. In this election special, host Ian Wishart speaks with reporter Max Griera who’s been at the victorious Tisza watch party in Budapest and Jamie Dettmer, our foreign affairs columnist, who’s also in the Hungarian capital. They discuss what Magyar’s victory means for the country following years of democratic backsliding and illiberal democracy. Plus, how this new leader might mend Budapest’s fractured relationship with Brussels — thanks in large part to Orbán’s obstructionism and pro-Russian stance. How do you feel about the results? Did you vote in the election? Send us your thoughts via WhatsApp here or via +32 491 05 06 29. Source link

The losers and winners of Hungary’s seismic election – POLITICO

The losers and winners of Hungary’s seismic election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Independent journalists have faced an uphill battle in Hungary as Orbán took control of 80 percent of media in the country. Despite that, independent reporters became a decisive factor in the final outcome. They uncovered how the Orbán government worked to undermine the opposition via the country’s secret services, and obtained details of phone calls between Budapest and the Kremlin, discussing sensitive EU matters. Doctors will also be a winner, as Magyar has promised to increase public investment by €1 billion a year. That pledge comes after a decade of underspending in the health sector that left long waiting lists, dilapidated hospitals, lack of equipment and, ultimately, caused a brain drain, President of the Hungarian Medical Chamber Péter Almos told POLITICO. Orbán’s government has in the past unleashed billboard campaigns blaming doctors for the system’s deficiencies. Viktor Orbán, who conceded defeat, salutes supporters at the Balna centre in Budapest on election night. | Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images The losers Donald Trump and JD Vance U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Orbán in Budapest on …

Von der Leyen waits just 17 minutes to celebrate Orbán’s heavy defeat – POLITICO

Von der Leyen waits just 17 minutes to celebrate Orbán’s heavy defeat – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber, to which the victorious Tisza opposition party belongs, also couldn’t contain his glee at Orbán’s defeat. Orbán’s populist-nationalist Fidesz party left the center-right EPP group in 2021 to join the far-right Patriots for Europe. “Tonight is the victory of the people of Hungary!” Weber wrote. “They confirm that our centre-right, people-first politics win elections.”  “Substance. Solutions. Unity — not empty slogans and fears,” he added.  Orbán’s 16-year reign ended Sunday night with a landslide victory for the center-right opposition, led by Magyar, who is on track to win around two-thirds of the 199 seats in Budapest’s parliament.  Many of the political reactions to Orbán’s loss focused on what his defeat would mean for Europe, after years in which he thwarted EU unanimity on matters such as aid for Ukraine while barracking Brussels for tougher migration rules and nationalist policies. “Hungary’s place is at the heart of Europe,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola wrote.  French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Magyar: “Together, let us advance a more sovereign Europe, for the security of our continent, our competitiveness, and our democracy.” Source …

Orbán just lost his populist touch – POLITICO

Orbán just lost his populist touch – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

And come what may, Magyar remained laser-focused in his campaigning on bread-and-butter issues while hammering Fidesz over corruption, noting how Orbán’s family, business cronies and inner circle have grown ever richer as ordinary Hungarians have just got poorer.  What really concerned voters — inflation, economic malaise and endemic corruption — all remained front and center in Magyar’s campaign, according to Mátyás Bódi, an election geographer affiliated with Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University. And they played well for him, explained Bódi, who analyzed raw local polling data from independent pollsters throughout the election campaign. “What drove Orbán’s defeat was the cost of living, lack of economic opportunities and lack of jobs,” Bódi added. Magyar’s messaging about poor public services also resonated. “A key Magyar message was that the country just isn’t working. And if you look at health care, transportation, the education system, for ordinary people the average experience has been one of disrepair and increasing dysfunction.” Capitalizing on voter frustration, Magyar’s promises to build a “modern, European Hungary” appealed not only to young voters but also …