Budapest felt like it had exhaled on Sunday night. The Danube was still there, the city still moving, but the mood shifted fast—street noise, phone screens lighting up, people talking over each other like they’d been waiting all campaign long.
EU leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his decisive election victory in Hungary against the long-serving prime minister Viktor Orbán. Many described Orbán’s 16-year rule as a direct threat to Europe’s peace and prosperity, and the applause—online and in statements—came with a clear subtext: frustration with Orbán has been building across the EU’s 27 member states and its institutions.
“Today Europe wins and European values win,” said the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, in a post on X on Sunday night. The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, wrote on social media: “Hungary Poland Europe Back together! Glorious victory, dear friends! Ruszkik haza!”. Ruszkik haza translates into English as “Russians, go home”.
Beyond the celebrations, Misryoum newsroom reporting and internal editorial team analysis puts the spotlight on what Orbán’s grip did to the EU system of governance—an arrangement meant to prevent another wave of devastation after the first and second world wars, by binding peace to economic and political integration. Orbán, claiming he was advancing the national interests of Hungarians over strategy forged in Brussels, time and again vetoed collective action such as support for Ukraine after Russia’s all-out invasion.
More recently, the far-right leader’s government outraged EU leaders and officials when it admitted to providing a backchannel to Russia during summits. And on the campaign trail, Magyar spoke in a way that sounded reassuring but also careful. In a recent interview, Misryoum newsroom reported that Magyar told the Associated Press that if elected, he would repair Hungary’s relationship with the EU. However, he has carefully avoided taking firm positions on a number of divisive issues during the election campaign—including Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies and whether Hungary should extend more support to Ukraine.
“All Hungarians know that this is a shared victory. Our homeland made up its mind. It wants to live again. It wants to be a European country,” Magyar said in his victory speech from the banks of the Danube in Budapest.
There was no reaction from the White House on Sunday night and no comment from the US vice-president, JD Vance, who had campaigned for Orbán in Budapest earlier in the week, openly admitting he was in Hungary on an “unprecedented” trip to help him win the election. Magyar said he had received calls on Sunday night from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Nato’s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the European Commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen.
Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, one of Orbán closest international alliles, congratulated Magyar on winning the election. Fico said Slovakia was ready for intensive cooperation and that protecting energy interests remained a key goal. Congratulations also flowed in online from the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, the Irish prime minister, Micheál Martin, the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, and the European parliament’s speaker, Roberta Metsola. The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, the Romanian president, Nicușor Dan, and the European Council president, António Costa, also posted well-wishes, as did Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Starmer said: “This is an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy.” Macron said: “France welcomes the victory of democratic participation, the Hungarian people’s commitment to the values of the European Union, and Hungary’s commitment to Europe,” while Merz said: “Let’s join forces for a strong, secure and, above all, united Europe.” Zelenskyy said Ukraine was ready to work with Hungary: “Europe and every European nation must get stronger, and millions of Europeans seek cooperation and stability,” adding, “We are ready for meetings and joint constructive work for the benefit of both nations, as well as peace, security and stability in Europe.”
Kristersson referenced both the EU and Nato in his congratulations to Magyar: “I look forward to working closely with you – as allies and EU members. This marks a new chapter in the history of Hungary.” Slovenia’s liberal prime minister, Robert Golob, congratulated Magyar, saying his “victory over rightwing populism is also a great victory for the EU and its future”, and that “Only a more united and more effective EU will be able to respond to the extremely serious challenges of the times ahead.”
Other messages came in from the Israeli opposition politician Yair Lapid, a descendent of Hungarian Jews who survived the Holocaust, and from Von der Leyen, who posted on X: “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. Together, we are stronger. A country returns to its European path. The Union grows stronger.” The European People’s party president, Manfred Weber, also a frequent target of Orbán, said on social media: “Hungary is back at the heart of Europe.”
Not everyone was in the same emotional place. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni congratulated Magyar but also thanked Orbán for “intense collaboration for these years”. The far-right French politician Jordan Bardella praised Orbán’s record on populist causes in a post on X, but made no mention of Magyar. And somewhere in all that, people in Budapest keep talking—about Europe, sure, but also about what comes next, and whether the new chapter will be as straightforward as the slogans suggest.
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