The Insider Who Broke the System – Hungary’s Rebirth

Hungarians are celebrating, as they have chosen the face of their new future - Péter Magyar and his party Tisza. But who is he, and how did he rise to power?

Péter Magyar is a former member of Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz.

He was thrust into the spotlight when a scandal involving members of high government positions erupted. The main figures were Judit Varga, back then the Justice Minister, and Katalin Novák, then the President of Hungary. Children were suffering abuse at the hands of a children’s home in Budapest, and the deputy director was forcing the victims to withdraw their claims. In 2024, Varga and Novak pardoned him.

A month and a half later, Magyar released an audio recording in which Varga speaks about  “alleged government interference in a corruption case.”  As a result of the public outcry, both Varga and Novak resigned from their positions. 

Magyar, on the other hand, left Fidesz and joined Tisza – a small and primarily inactive party. He quickly climbed up the ladder and became the leader of the party. With him as the main figure, the party rapidly gained popularity among the population.

Tisza is a center-right party, and its priorities are the fight against corruption, the restoration of Hungary’s economy, and its healthcare system. The party is pro-European and believes Hungary should continue to be part of the European Union.

The face of change in Hungary

One thing that differentiates Magyar from others who have tried and failed to topple Orbán’s regime all these years is his close ties with Orbán’s party, Fidesz. As a former member, he was extremely well-connected to prominent government figures and personally knew the party’s inner workings. 

Magdalena Bernaciak, a professor at the Politics and European Studies Department at AUBG, gave another reason for Magyar’s historic success – his election campaign.

In her words, Orbán’s campaign focused on external issues, like Russia and Ukraine, trying and failing to deflect people’s attention from the actual problems of the country.

Magyar used this to his advantage and focused on the internal problems of the country, the actual issues ordinary people face in their everyday lives. He addressed issues of education, healthcare, and the economy, all in a dire state after the long Orbán rule.

Magyar went on a campaign tour in the country, visiting mainly smaller cities and giving up to 6 speeches a day. “This made him appealing to smaller-sized places, and mid to lower class Hungarians,” a demographic that usually votes for Fidesz.

She went on: “He was pouching those who in the past voted for Fidesz, not the people who are dissatisfied with the regime.”

These factors make him one of the few political figures with enough influence and public support to stand up to the regime and come out on top.

That is exactly what he did on April 12, 2026.

With record voter turnout (79.6%), seen only in the country’s first free elections after the fall of communism, Magyar’s party, Tisza, won 141 out of 199 seats in Parliament (70%). This is enough for a constitutional majority in Parliament, giving Tisza the power to change the constitution of the country.

What does that mean for the future of the country?

Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz, have manipulated the country’s legal system and almost completely restricted independent media through various means. They have also changed the electoral system to favor themselves and turned their back on the European Union.

Magyar’s constitutional majority gives him the power to reverse years of the county’s erosion. However, Bernaciak stressed that Magyar is in a tricky situation.

“Yes, the democratic party is brought back to power, but they cannot deliver on cleaning the system.” Even though he theoretically has the power to fix the country’s problems, the system itself is full of Fidesz-appointed people. 

“That makes their voter base impatient, changes are not happening because they are blocked in the institutional pipeline.”

There is no doubt that change was not only desired by the people but also needed. Hungarians have cast their votes and faith in Magyar, and now the responsibility lies in their hands. 

 

 

Edited by: Kostadin Dimitrov and Vasil Paskov