A clear statement from Magyar supporters: Hungary and the EU belong together.Image: keystone
analysis
Viktor Orban was a hero not only of the right, but especially in Europe. Now he has been voted out with a bang. It is also a success for the EU, which is stronger than many think.
April 13, 2026, 12:59 p.mApril 13, 2026, 12:59 p.m
There was a sigh of relief on Sunday evening through Brussels and other European capitals. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the troublemaker and tormentor in the EU, was not voted out of office in his home country of Hungary, but was literally chased away. His successor Peter Magyar can govern with a two-thirds majority in parliament.
One of the first reactions came from EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together we are stronger. A country is returning to its European path. The Union is getting stronger,” she said with a good dose of pathos on X.
The relationship between Ursula von der Leyen and Viktor Orban was anything but easy.Image: keystone
It cannot be expressed more clearly how much the EU longed to finally get rid of Orban. During his 16 years in office, he repeatedly railed against Brussels and threatened blockades. Mostly it was pure show politics, because Hungary needs the EU more than the other way around. That is why Orban never seriously thought about a “Hunexit”.
Goodwill in Brussels
In Brussels they knew this and used funding as a means of pressure. Around 18 billion euros were blocked because of corruption and the dismantled rule of law. Magyar needs the money to bring the run-down infrastructure and facilities into shape. This is also why he will behave more cooperatively.
He has a good chance of finding goodwill in the rest of Europe. “After the election of Donald Tusk in Poland, for example, the frozen funds were quickly released, even though the necessary reforms to restore the rule of law had not yet been implemented,” writes the “Spiegel”. And Magyar is likely to be aware of their interdependence.
Blessed agreement
It would be a blessing for the EU if Hungary went from being a troublemaker to becoming a somewhat reliable member. Because the challenges for the recently shaken Union remain great. At the same time, Peter Magyar’s success shows that she is stronger than many think. The EU enjoys great approval and popularity, especially in Hungary.
In Switzerland, people often overlook how much the continent owes to European unification, despite all the legitimate complaints about bureaucracy and over-regulation. Thanks to it, conflicts are fought out at the negotiating table and no longer on the battlefield. And it ensures stability in an increasingly unstable world.
Internal market as a bracket
The deficits should therefore not be ignored. This is particularly evident in Germany, the largest and most important EU country. It has outsourced its defense to the United States, its energy supplies to Russia and its economic success to China. All of this is now blowing up in the Germans’ faces and is causing stress in Berlin.
Moving away from this supposedly successful model is a laborious process, even for other countries. But it has been initiated. With the internal market, the EU has a strong link on which Viktor Orban depended not only on funding, but also because of the Chinese car and battery manufacturers who were lured with tax breaks.
Floped “successful model”
As a counter-model, Orban wanted to build a Christian-nationalist and anti-migrant Europe. He also failed with this, for example in his attempt to boost the birth rate. In Hungary it is at best slightly higher than in the rest of Europe. And because many compatriots emigrated, he brought in workers from Indonesia or the Philippines.
Viktor Orban with his European allies in Budapest on March 23rd.Image: keystone
Despite these apparent failures, the charismatic Orban remained a hero to many on the right in Europe and beyond. They rushed to Budapest to provide electoral assistance. Even Javier Milei came, although the libertarian Argentine has little in common with the Christian-conservative Hungarian. The disillusionment on Sunday was correspondingly great.
Wilders complains on X
«Orban was the only leader with balls in the EU. Strict on migration and anti-woke,” complained the Dutch right-wing populist Geert Wilders on X. His deselection was “a sad day”. Wilders has already proven twice that you cannot form a government with people of his ilk. There were no other reactions from this side.
Right-wing parties like the AfD and Rassemblement National are likely to try to wait out the fall of their idol and hope that he doesn’t leave too much of an impression on the electorate. It will partly succeed, because the simple messages of the right-wing populists remain seductive, as the SVP has proven for decades.
A bitter defeat for Trump
And yet the election results in Hungary remain a ray of hope for a much-maligned Europe. Because it shows that democracy cannot be “rebuilt” so easily, even though Orban tried to do so for 16 years. It is also a pointer across the Atlantic, where Donald Trump is dismantling the proud American democracy.
The bromance of Donald Trump and Viktor Orban is over.Image: keystone
For him, the result is a bitter defeat, because the MAGA base also celebrated Viktor Orban as an idol. Trump’s shameless interference in the Hungarian election may have done Orban more harm than good, because with the war against Iran he torpedoed his most important message: the warning that Hungary was being drawn into the Ukraine war.
Orban used to be able to score points with such horror scenarios. Now it has fizzled out in view of the poor results in our own country. Because regimes like those in Hungary without functioning checks and balances lead to corruption and mismanagement. Trump’s America also shows this. This is also why democratic Europe can feel like a winner.