Who is Péter Magyar, Hungary's next prime minister?

Conservative politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party won the parliamentary elections held on April 12.

According to “Stabil.az”, although the final results have not yet been officially announced, Hungary’s current and long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has already congratulated Magyar on his electoral victory.

So who is 45-year-old Péter Magyar?

The Hungarian politician, who studied law, spent more than 20 years as a relatively low-profile member of Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party. During his career, he worked as a diplomat in Brussels and held senior positions in government agencies. Magyar was also married to Judit Varga, a leading figure in the Fidesz party, until 2023.

He rose to public prominence in 2024 after breaking with Orbán’s political camp following a scandal involving a presidential pardon granted to a man convicted of covering up sexual abuse in a children’s home. In the same year, he founded a new political movement, the Tisza Party, which went on to win 30 percent of the vote in the European Parliament elections in Hungary.

In the parliamentary elections held on April 12, the party was projected to win 137 seats, with 66 percent of the votes counted, potentially securing a two-thirds majority.

In January 2025, Péter Magyar stated that if Tisza won the elections, he intended to firmly strengthen Hungary’s position within the European Union and NATO, secure the release of EU-frozen funds, join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and establish “pragmatic” relations with Russia and China. He also emphasized that such relations should not lead Hungary into dependency on Chinese loans or Russian political influence.

In July 2025, Magyar began a nationwide tour of Hungary, and by spring 2026, he had visited hundreds of towns and villages, holding multiple meetings per day across different parts of the country.

Political background and rivals

It should also be noted that Péter Magyar was not Viktor Orbán’s first right-wing challenger.

In the 2022 general election, Orbán’s divided opponents united around conservative candidate Péter Márki-Zay, a father of seven, a religious man, and the mayor of a small town. However, this attempt failed, and Fidesz won by a landslide after the ruling party used its media influence to portray Márki-Zay as a warmonger who intended to send Hungarians to fight against Russia in Ukraine.

During that election campaign, Márki-Zay and Orbán accused each other of serving foreign interests. Earlier this year, the prime minister claimed that Magyar had reached an agreement with Ukraine to overthrow the Fidesz government and install a pro-Western administration. As a result, Kyiv was accused of interfering in Hungary’s election campaign.

In March, seven Ukrainians were detained in Hungary on suspicion of money laundering. They were later released. The individuals had reportedly brought millions of dollars and euros in cash, as well as gold bars, from Austria. Orbán alleged that the funds were intended to finance an “opposition, pro-Ukrainian party.” Magyar, however, repeatedly denied any links to Kyiv and stated that there is no confirmed evidence that the Tisza Party was financed by Ukraine.

International reactions and victory speech

Many world leaders have already congratulated Magyar’s party on its electoral success. On the same evening, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, extended their congratulations.

Addressing supporters on election night, Magyar said that his party had succeeded in “changing the regime” of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and “liberating Hungary.” He added: “Our country wants to live again. It wants to be a European country again.”

Stabil.Az