By Dr. Andras Simonyi
(Originally published in the Danish language outlet “Altinget” on Sept. 30, 2026)
The other day the eighteen year old daughter of a friend of mine, Dora, an active supporter of the now famous TISZA party said about Peter Magyar the recently elected prime minister of Hungary: we’ll see what he does, then we’ll decide his fate. This is maybe the best summing up of how emboldened the Hungarian people suddenly feel after , against all odds, defeating Victor Orban. Also, this is the starkest message by the electorate to Peter Magyar, who lead TISZA to victory against Viktor Orban, the small time dictator, who had cozied up to remaining in power until the end of his days: we got rid of him, and we are watching, we can get rid of you if you stray.
This message is critically important, because while obtaining a super majority at the polls for one party was the only safe way to get rid of Orban and his regime, a super majority for one entity has its dangers. It demands some kind of a safeguard, so that the “goodness of the leader” is not the only guarantee that the country will not revert back to a quasi dictatorship. Hungarians, by nature a paranoid people, have reasons to be skeptical.
Peter Magyar undoubtedly was the catalyzer for the historic defeat of Orban. The disenchanted masses needed a leader, a face, a charismatic person. History and perhaps some luck produced one. But at the end of the day it was the will and wisdom of the majority of Hungarians to set aside ideological differences and unite under the banner of freedom and democracy that did it.
Peter Magyar “inherited” if you will, a beat down country, an exhausted people, mutilated and raped over and over again (metaphorically speaking of course, I don’t need the fallen elite to sue me), which was at the end of it’s rope. He is left with a country with distorted and maimed institutions, all streamlined in the best tradition of a corporate state, poverty and an economy that is ineffective, uncompetitive and under-financed. He now has a double task. First, dismantling the Orbanista structures of what Viktor Orban called the “System of National Cooperation” (NER). System it was, for him. Cooperation it was, but only with his followers. Second, Peter Magyar has the daunting task of uncovering, and persecuting the “biggest theft in Hungarian history”. And then, he has an even bigger challenge: rebuilding the country.
He had what it takes to beat Orban. He was a relentless campaigner, on the road 24/7 for months. It’s an incredible feat. He was a commanding general, who had incredible strategic and tactical instincts.But it begs the question: does he have what it takes to be a leader in peacetime. Because that requires a totally different set of skills. The jury is still out. To be perfectly clear, he hardly has a choice but to succeed. He won’t get a second chance, the country won’t get a second chance, to catch up with lost time, to recover from the destruction of 16 years of authoritarian rule, based on the silly idea of “illiberal democracy”, a nonsense invented to cover up a dictatorship, even if it was a shabby , soft one, but still a dictatorship.
Magyar also needs to understand that the goodwill generated by his gigantic feat fades fast. The world quickly moves on from one major event to the next. Yes, what happened in Hungary was a major event. But, using a phrase from rock and roll music: is he a one hit wonder? Or is he about to prove to the world that under his leadership Hungary will now embark on political, economic, social and cultural modernization. Because like in rock music, his audience is brutal: stars, that were huge yesterday, are left behind, others take center stage. Does he understand that the Hungarian election on April 12 is yesterday’s news, that Orban’s
fall is hardly on anyone’s radar any more, that five months on, the expectations on the world stage toward him and his country are different.
Allies of Hungary keep wondering, if Hungary will now be mainstream on the world stage? I guess not. Which is ok. I believe in “positively constructive” dissent. Hungary has always been a bit of an outlier, a bit of a maverick, which in itself is not negative. Hungarians never truly surrendered to Russian political and ideological domination. The 1956 revolution, the pioneering economic reforms in the sixties, the radical embrace of detente, the avant-guard role in tearing down the Iron Curtain were all positive, outside the box. That is something to be proud of. But Hungary’s positions during Orban, the obstruction of the political unity of the European Union, of being the “Russian at the table” in NATO, becoming the Trojan Horse for China are things Magyar needs to clean up fast. He needs to stop the ambiguity around Ukraine. Orban took Russia’ side in the war. Magyar has to unambiguously take Ukraine’s.His opposition to Ukraine’s fast track EU membership is unnecessary. A positive attitude, rather than blackmail, can further the justified demands for the better treatment of the Hungarian minority lot more. Ukraine is a neighbor, at war, protecting Europe, including Hungary from Russia. Its closeness to Europe and NATO is in Hungary’s interest.
I count the Transatlantic relationship as the most powerful and most important relationship for all democracies. The present state of affairs across the Atlantic, does not justify turning away from it, but rather begs a concerted effort to reinvent it, for the long term. Peter Magyar has yet to state clearly that it wants to play a role in that renewal. Under the present circumstances the muted reaction in Washington to Orban’s fall should be interpreted by Hungary as a positive signal. After all the U.S. president did not shed a tear for Orban. It is an opportunity, that should not go unnoticed. The temptation, which is widespread in Europe, to wait for a democrat president to be elected is dangerous and stupid.
Walking around Budapest these days one senses the difference. People speak more freely. Like the spell is gone. People are more polite with each other. There is lot of hope. There is some magic in the air. However, Dora and her young friends are out there watching.
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Ambassador Andras Simonyi, PhD. is a Hungarian-American and former Hungarian Ambassador and an economist. Ambassador Simonyi was Hungary’s first ambassador to NATO (1995-2001)and later the ambassador to the United States (2002-2007). He was the Managing Director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University (2012-18). He is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States and a visiting professor at GWU.