The defeat of Viktor Orbán in the elections of April 12 unleashed euphoria among a large part of the Hungarian population, but it also seems to have fanned the panic among a more select but powerful group of citizens of the Central European country. The oligarchs who have amassed large fortunes during Fidesz's 16 years in government fear that Péter Magyar's future government will fulfill the promise to end corruption and cronyism, and they will lose their fortunes and have begun to move money and other assets out of the country.

Hungary's legislative elections have marked a turning point both in the country and across Europe, with the end of sixteen years of Viktor Orbán's government. We analyze this with Hungarian political scientist András Bíró-Nagy, director of the think tank Policy Solutions and researcher at the Centre for Social Sciences in Budapest.

Donald Trump distanced himself this Wednesday from Viktor Orbán, three days after his resounding defeat in the legislative elections, and said he likes the president-elect, Péter Magyar, although he did not name him. "I think the new guy will do a good job," he said in an interview with ABC News. During the election campaign, the US president called on Hungarians to "get out and vote" for his friend. He even participated, remotely, in one of his rallies just a week ago. He did so with a call from the phone of his vice president, J.D. Vance, who traveled to Budapest to support the ultraconservative leader.

1. Steve Bannon, a prominent voice of Trumpism, said that Viktor Orbán is “one of the moral leaders of the world”. For now, this figure whom Trump felt so close to that he said they were “like twins” is licking his wounds from a crushing defeat. Tisza, Péter Magyar's party, will have an absolute majority with 138 seats, compared to Fidesz, Orbán's party, with 55. It is precisely the unexpected dimension of the failure that has made these elections an event.

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).

Not a single piece of paper on the ground. Budapest's cleaning crews have had a monumental task to clean up the aftermath of the euphoria unleashed this Sunday night after the victory of the opposition party Tisza. The streets of the Hungarian capital filled with spontaneous parties, national flags (some from the European Union) and thousands of exultant young people celebrating the fall of Viktor Orbán's government.

Good news arrived tonight from Hungary:Viktor Orbán has lost the elections. He has lost them clearly, because the opposition leader has won them with a resounding two-thirds absolute majority with the highest turnout in Hungary's recent democratic history; never before had so many people gone to vote since 1989 when the communist regime fell, meaning there was a desire to vote and a desire for change.The profile of the winner, Péter Magyar, is apparently contradictory: he worked for Orbán's government, but has been increasingly distancing himself until stating tonight that "the people of Hungary have said yes to Europe". And in Brussels there is euphoria, because although Hungary is a relatively small country (9 and a half million inhabitants), Orbán's Hungary was a kind of black sheep in the European Union for a double and powerful reason: it was the candidate of Putin and Trump. It has always opposed European sanctions on Russia, and as for Trump, Orbán was one of the European references for the American president, to the point that last week Vice President Vance went to Hungary to support Orbán in an electoral rally. That Trump's candidates lose in Europe, that going hand in hand with Trump detracts rather than adds, is a sign that people do not want wars like those in Iran that are making us more expensive and complicating our lives, as we explain on this page: the rising cost of fertilizers threatens the cost of food, and it turns out that the Persian Gulf countries are among the main producers.the rising cost of fertilizers threatens the cost of food, and it turns out that the Persian Gulf countries are among the main producers.By the way, the first round of peace talks with Iran ended in disagreement (as expected) and tonight Trump said he will block the Strait of Hormuz (which will prevent Iran from charging tolls to pass through it), which in essence is an acknowledgment that he cannot open it. And since he does everything in bulk, this morning he attacked Pope Leo XIV in one of those on-the-fly responses, saying that the Pope is

In Moscow, alarms have sounded. After sixteen years, Viktor Orbán's continuity at the helm of Hungary is in danger. Vladimir Putin fears losing his great ally in the European Union, a thorn in the side for Brussels' support of Kyiv and a stubborn buyer of repudiated Russian gas and oil. To try to prevent this, various media outlets have warned that the Kremlin has launched an operation to influence the elections of April 12. Actions that include from the disembarkation of spies in Budapest to disinformation campaigns on social media and, even, considering the staging of a false attack against the current prime minister to boost his popularity.

Péter Magyar burst onto the Hungarian political scene two years ago. He was an unknown, but in a very short time he rose up in a kind of messianic figureHe was the politician on whom all the hopes of those who dream of a Hungary without Viktor Orbán in power were pinned. Just two months after his party, Tisza, was registered as a political organization, it finished ahead of Fidesz, the prime minister's party, in the European elections. But back then, the big event, the Hungarian parliamentary elections, still seemed too far off, and there was an inevitable wariness of the newcomer among citizens and analysts. Now, less than a month before the elections, Péter Magyar has consolidated his position as a competitor on par with Viktor Orbán, who for the first time since 2010 faces a real possibility of losing the elections.