Life After Viktor Orbán: Hungary's New Leader Takes On The Authoritarian State

He's ousted nan man who ruled for 16 years. Now Hungary's caller premier curate faces a daunting task: taking connected the authoritarian state built by Viktor Orbán.

No sooner had Peter Magyar vanished posing pinch nan country’s smiling president this week, he called nan Orbán-aligned figurehead unworthy, unfit and demanded his resignation.

Magyar, 45, besides posted a video of nan meeting, successful which he spotted Orbán himself connected a adjacent balcony. "Absolute cinema," Magyar said, raising his hands to bespeak nan celebrated meme.

Next stop? A information of interviews connected the country's Orbán-mouthpiece authorities media successful which he called them a "factory of lies" and said they would beryllium suspended until their independency could beryllium guaranteed.

These swift moves from Magyar bespeak his committedness to expanse distant nan corruption, cronyism and Kremlin allyship that European officials and watchdogs say plagued Orbán's Hungary.

Whether he tin do truthful is simply a important unfastened question, not conscionable for nan state itself, but besides for Europe and beyond. Though Magyar is nary liberal, immoderate are now looking to his triumph arsenic an illustration of really to conclusion an entrenched far-right leader who has nan support of an progressively powerful world movement.

Unpicking nan heavy roots of nan Orbánist authorities will not beryllium simple. Magyar will beryllium helped by past weekend's landslide triumph that gave him a supermajority, 137 of nan National Assembly's 199 seats.

Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar waves a Hungarian emblem aft delivering his triumph reside successful Budapest connected Sunday.Neil Milton / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

That "will make it importantly easier," said Stefania Kapronczay, 1 of Hungary's apical quality authorities experts during nan Orbán years. "Not galore group believed he could really execute that."

Under Hungary's Fundamental Law, changes to nan constitution require two-thirds of lawmakers to ballot for it; Magyar now has nan aforesaid devices to unpick nan authorities arsenic Orbán utilized to conception it.

During 5 consecutive administrations, Orbán's authorities changed nan constitution and passed hundreds of laws to style authorities successful his "illiberal" image. He constricted nan independency of nan judiciary and nan media, and stuffed supposedly nonpolitical authorities positions pinch his allies.

One illustration highlighted by nan European Commission was nan assignment of a charismatic wide past June — for a nine-year term.

"The hierarchical structure" of nan prosecutor's office, together "with nan deficiency of soul checks and balances" creates nan consequence that elder prosecutors could "influence nan activity of subordinate prosecutors, including successful individual cases," its study past twelvemonth said.

While nan E.U. condemned it, Orbánism was lauded by President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement, which openly praised nan Hungarian leader arsenic an illustration of what conservatives could achieve.

Orban was a adjacent state of nan White House and nan Kremlin.Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Vice President JD Vance jetted to Hungary successful an eleventh-hour effort to support his poll-flagging state successful power. The travel moreover included a sound telephone from Trump himself, successful which he called Orbán a "fantastic man."

After Orbán was defeated, however, Trump sought to region himself. He called Magyar a "good man" who is "going to do a bully job."

Some wrong nan Orbánist authorities will invited nan caller leader's reforms.

For years, galore Hungarian journalists have, privately astatine least, expressed exasperation pinch nan authorities controls connected their work.

With Orbán going, 90 of these journalists pinch nan MTI authorities news agency broke screen Thursday and wrote a letter, seen by Reuters, demanding that their editorial independency beryllium reinstated.

It's not only successful Magyar's stated governmental interests to undo nan regime, but it's besides successful nan interests of Hungary's economy.

The E.U. has stiff astir 17 cardinal euros (around $20 billion) of backing for Hungary because of concerns astir antiauthoritarian backsliding and nan norm of law.

European President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday she had spoken pinch Magyar and said "swift work" needed to beryllium done.

Their "immediate priorities," she wrote connected X, were to "restore nan norm of law. Realign pinch our shared European values. And reform, to unlock nan opportunities offered by ​European investments."

A tag sounds 'Liar Fidesz' complete a poster of Fidesz leader Viktor Orban, astatine a autobus extremity successful Budapest connected Monday.Ferenc Isza / AFP via Getty Images

On Friday, European officials were successful Budapest discussing unlocking these funds, arsenic good arsenic a 90 cardinal euro loan to Ukraine that was precocious blocked by Orbán, a adjacent state of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, location is another, possibly moreover bigger, chartless looming complete nan nascent Magyar project: If he tin dismantle Orbánism, what mightiness he switch it with?

A erstwhile authorities insider, Magyar has staked retired blimpish positions connected migration and societal issues.

"The large mobility is what he does pinch this power," said Kapronczay, erstwhile head of strategy astatine nan Hungarian Civil Liberties Union.

She likens this infinitesimal to nan 1990s, erstwhile Hungary emerged from communism and had nan chance to flourish into a wide democracy.

"That grounded successful nan 1990s, but we person a existent chance now," she said.