Péter Magyar accuses the Orbán government of destroying secret documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Special correspondent to BudapestFlanked by eighteen Hungarian flags and two from the European Union, the winner of the legislative elections in Hungary, Péter Magyar, has accused Viktor Orbán's government of destroying documents. In his first press conference, in which he outlined the broad strokes of the future government, the future prime minister lamented that Hungary will not have a normal transition: "There were rumors that the Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, had disappeared. But I have just been informed that he has reappeared and that he is currently at the ministry and is destroying documents," he denounced. And he detailed that they received the information from someone inside the ministry. "We know they have been destroying documents, as in the communist era," he criticized. Doubtless, there must be compromising documentation on the walls of the Hungarian chancellery. "There are many things we don't know: international treaties, confidential government decrees, classified documents that they have signed and that we have no idea what they are...", Magyar told the press.

The leader who has managed to unseat Orbán after 16 years in power has wanted to send a clear message to Brussels: "Hungary will be a constructive partner." "We want to make Europe's voice stronger," he added. The leader of the Tisza party, which on Sunday achieved a two-thirds majority in the Hungarian Parliament, has conveyed a generally conciliatory tone, except with the current prime minister, Viktor Orbán, and the "mafia puppets."

Proud of the EU and NATO

"Hungarians have made it clear that they are proud to be part of the EU and NATO," he said. "We will defend the rule of law, human rights, and we will be a reliable and trustworthy partner," he added. But he also stressed, on several occasions, that their main objective will always be to defend the interests of their citizens: "Millions of Hungarians showed yesterday that history is not written in Moscow, Brussels or Washington, but in the streets of Hungary."

He has not hidden that his great objective is to recover "as soon as possible" the European funds that correspond to Hungary and that are now frozen. "I have to be very quick," he said, referring to the negotiations to achieve the unblocking, and he expressed confidence that he could start discussing it this very Monday with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. He recalled that Brussels asks Hungary for four things to recover the money: to create anti-corruption mechanisms, to restore the rule of law, to guarantee freedom of the press and academic freedom. "These are all things that we intend to do and that we intend to do quickly."

As he already insisted during the election campaign, he assured that Tisza will use the supermajority in Parliament to modify the Constitution and restore the government's control mechanisms. In addition, he promised to establish a two-term limit for the position of Prime Minister in Hungary. For this reason, he guaranteed that Viktor Orbán, who has served 20 years as prime minister —the last sixteen and four more between 1998 and 2002—, will not hold the office again.

When asked if he believes that the current prime minister should be tried and imprisoned for the corruption of his governments, he replied that "it is not the task of the prime minister or the leader of a party to assess whether he should go to prison or not."

"Pragmatic cooperation" with Russia

Another of the key elements in Hungary's international policy is its relationship with Russia, after many years with a government close to the Kremlin. Magyar has stated that he will opt for a "pragmatic cooperation" with Moscow, arguing the proximity of the two countries and Hungary's dependence on Russian hydrocarbons. "We cannot change geography. We are exposed to Russia for energy, but we will review all existing contracts, renegotiate them and, if necessary, cancel them," he said.

He said that the Tisza government intends to diversify its energy sources: "There are many things we cannot change; Russia will continue to be where it is, but we will try to diversify as much as possible." He admitted that depending on Russian gas poses an obvious security problem: "In Hungary, everyone knows the Russian bear, we have suffered it on many occasions... we know exactly what it is like and Europe must prepare to protect itself and defend itself."

Magyar said that he will not call Vladimir Putin, but that if the Russian president calls him, he will answer the phone: "If he wants to talk, I will tell him that he must end the war and the killings (...) I suppose it will be a short discussion."

Regarding Ukraine, he said that the Tisza government intends to have alliances with all neighboring countries and, "if possible, a friendly relationship," and that he hopes to resolve "all the disputes that Orbán has created for the interests of his party." And he added: "Ukraine is the victim of this war." However, he showed himself to be against a rapid process of Kyiv's accession to the EU.

He also stressed that he will seek a good relationship with the United States, even though Donald Trump has been one of Viktor Orbán's main defenders: "All leaders can decide who to support, there is no problem with that; but after the elections, things change."

Regarding Israel, he limited himself to saying that it is an important trading partner and that Hungary, which has a large Jewish community, will maintain zero tolerance for antisemitism. "We must examine every decision," he said. And he stated that the new government will re-apply for Hungary's entry into the International Criminal Court. Orbán withdrew from the court last year after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite the international arrest warrant for war crimes in Gaza.