A political earthquake in Budapest
The Hungarian polls have just shaken the European board. Péter Magyar, the leader of the Tisza party, not only won the legislative elections. He achieved a landslide victory with 53% of the votes, against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s party.
Translated into seats, that means 138 deputies for Tisza against only 55 for Fidesz. A supermajority that gives Magyar the power to do the unthinkable until a few months ago: dismantle the illiberal political system built by Orbán for 16 consecutive years.
And now what happens?
In his victory speech, Magyar avoided rigid ideological labels. But his message was crystal clear. He spoke of building a “European, democratic and plural Hungary”. A direct nod to Brussels and a total contrast with Orbán’s nationalist and confrontational model.
“His words included references to national sovereignty, family and identity,”
An intelligent attempt to keep voters who come from very different political shores together. From disenchanted liberals to conservatives who no longer see themselves in Fidesz.
The key is in those 138 seats. With that qualified majority, Tisza can promote profound constitutional reforms without the need for pacts. It can rewrite the rules of the political game and dismantle piece by piece the power machinery that Fidesz installed for more than a decade.
The reactions are a mirror of the divided country. There are celebrations in the streets among Tisza’s followers and palpable concern in the pro-government ranks. The opposition breathes hope; The current government faces its biggest challenge since coming to power.
What is coming is not just a change of government. It is a full-scale political experiment: to see if an illiberal model can be reversed from within its own institutions. Everyone in Europe will be watching.
