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<\/p>\nRabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za<\/p>\n
13 April 2026<\/p>\n
2-minute read<\/p>\n
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For the first time in 16 years, long-standing European leader Viktor Orb\u00e1n has conceded defeat to his former acolyte P\u00e9ter Magyar and his Tisza Party.<\/p>\n
G\u00e1bor Scheiring, Hungarian economist and politician, said that for those following the polls in Hungary\u2019s elections, the win was \u201cpredicted with this kind of qualified constitutional majority.\u201d The end of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s 16 years of authoritarian regime that allowed limited freedom and minimal room to manoeuvre came as a surprise to most people.<\/p>\n
Viktor Orb\u00e1n was a symbolic figurehead of the global far-right movement, marketing his regime and building a network of support from Israel and the US. Despite this, Scheiring says that it\u2019s about the performance of the regime and \u201cwhether the citizens of Hungary feel at home in their country.\u201d Economically, the regime has failed, with Hungary being among the lowest in household incomes and rising inequality.<\/p>\n
Changes are expected under the new leadership of P\u00e9ter Magyar, like better alliance between Hungary and the mainstream European countries, significant changes in terms of foreign policy with a pro-Ukraine stance and possible sanctions on Russia, and a more critical approach to Trump. Domestically, this is the beginning of a new era, signifying hope for the youth especially, but \u201cwhat that completely new will look like\u201d is yet to be determined, laughed G\u00e1bor.<\/p>\n
However, Scheiring warned that with the Tisza Party being closely affiliated with Orb\u00e1n\u2019s party just three years prior, massive changes are not<\/em> in the works. \u201cThere are some possibilities for institutional change,\u201d he mentioned, but there are no major changes expected on the country\u2019s position towards Israel and the Middle East.<\/p>\n