Where is the new Hungary of the conservative democrat Péter Magyar heading? Towards a return to Europeanism (against Putin, against Trump, and against the far-right), towards the reconstruction of the rule of law (against authoritarian and illiberal policies), and towards respect for plurality and minorities (against hate speech targeting groups like the LGTBI+ or against the rejection of identity diversity represented by immigration).
These are the three pieces of good news driving the change of course in Hungary, thanks to Magyar's historic and overwhelming victory and Viktor Orbán's indisputable defeat. After sixteen years in government, during which he reshaped – and above all, dismantled – democratic institutions through absolute supermajorities, after positioning himself as the paralyzing Trojan horse of the European Union, and after setting the tone for the continental far-right, Orbán has suffered a crushing defeat that exposes his arrogance. Perhaps, with time, the emperor had ended up going naked. Here too, there is a serious warning about the supposed impunity in the exercise of power in a democracy: manipulation and lies also have their limits. May Trump and his imitators take note.
Those who have played or are tempted to play into the hands of the far-right would also do well to understand the message from Hungarian citizens. Hungarian voters, tired of politics of hate and confrontational populist demagoguery, have massively opted to go to the polls and say enough is enough. Not to proclaim a revolution, but for a return to the order of liberal democracy, however imperfect it may be; and in passing, they have also opted to reclaim the shelter of Europe's human values and social rights, with the duties and commitments that this will entail, including defending Ukraine against Russian imperialism. At least on paper, this is what the person who will now assume the position of prime minister in Budapest promises.
In this sense, the euphoria in Brussels and in the main European chanceries makes perfect sense. The Hungarian turn gives political air to the task of recovering the pulse of continental unity once again in the face of external attacks (from Trump's United States and Putin's Russia) and internal ones (from anti-European ultranationalisms). The Hungarian reaction opens the possibility of mending complicities to rethink Europe without complexes or weaknesses: to seek more financial unity and more military autonomy, to close ranks without fissures in defense of Ukrainian sovereignty, to proudly defend democratic and social values, and to overcome contradictions in speaking with a single voice in international politics.
All this, of course, is not easy. But with Orbán's resounding fall, a new scenario opens up. Finally, a glimmer of hope, a change that adds to Trump's disorientation with the war in Iran. In fact, it cannot be ruled out that the egregious missteps of the American president have had consequences for the Hungarian electorate due to the Orbán-Trump harmony. It is therefore time to take advantage of the retreat of authoritarian populism to regain European democratic pride.
