After the change of political power in Hungary, Peter the Hungarian announces the return to European integration, the strengthening of the rule of law and the fight against corruption from the previous period. How does the Hungarian intend to do this?
U Hungary is a huge euphoria after the election the defeat of Viktor Orban. The country is facing its second system change since the end of the communist dictatorship in 1989/90. Election winner Peter Magyar says now it's about "bringing down Orbán's system" and making Hungary a "normal, respected country" in Europe again, writes Deutsche says.
How does the Hungarian intend to do this? What about his reputation that in some respects he is almost indistinguishable from Orbán's Fidesz? Deutsche Welle answers the ten most important questions.
The Hungarian describes himself as conservative and right-wing. He rejects being classified as a liberal-conservative, but also distances himself from the term "patriot" as used by Viktor Orbán. He is pro-European, and he advocates against the excessive influence of the European Union on national politics, but also against Orban's "sovereignism". His speaking style is often very polemical, often highly pointed. However, it is far from Orbán's populism.
The Hungarian promises to re-establish checks and balances and make Hungary a democratic and legal state again. The election winner wants to enact a new constitution - the current Hungarian constitution is partly a conglomeration of propaganda articles and provisions aimed at preserving the power of the Orbán system. In the new constitution, mechanisms for limiting power should be established, for example, such that the prime minister in Hungary can serve a maximum of two terms.
The Hungarian also wants to reform the electoral law tailored to Orbán's Fidesz party, to abolish the extreme centralization of the state and to restore the autonomy of universities. The judiciary should become more independent, although there is no concrete plan to reform that area. At the same time, he wants to give up certain powers as the head of the government, for example the supervision of the secret services. That should once again be the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior.
The Hungarian government will establish an anti-corruption agency and an asset recovery agency. The latter should investigate all public tenders worth more than 25 million euros. Hungary will also join the European Public Prosecutor's Office. The main state attorney's office should work more independently. In general, the Hungarian promises a decisive fight against corruption and shedding light on corruption cases over the past 16 years, when Orbán was prime minister.
The Hungarian sees Hungary fully integrated in Europe and promises that the country will once again be a reliable partner of the European Union and NATO. But he also says that "there will be a discussion about national interests." Hungary, as he emphasizes, "will not fight all the time" in Brussels, but will be a "constructive partner". The Hungarian also plans Hungary's accession to the Eurozone. The date for that has not yet been set.
The new government of the Hungarian Tisa party wants to continue the strict anti-migrant policy of Orbán, and also wants to keep the fence on the border with Serbia. However, the Hungarian advocates a pan-European solution and promises that the issue will not be used for anti-EU propaganda or domestic politics. There are currently no concrete proposals on EU migration policy. The Hungarian also promises to stop the recruitment of labor from non-EU countries in Hungary - which could become questionable due to the country's labor shortage.
Due to Orbán's strongly anti-Ukrainian propaganda and accusations that Tisza is a Ukrainian project, the Hungarian position towards Ukraine is cautious. He advocates the normalization of relations with the neighboring country, but does not support accelerated integration of Ukraine into the EU. He rejects Hungary's participation in the 90 billion loan package for Ukraine, just like Orban - but he condemns Orban's veto on that package, after Hungary had already reached an agreement in December 2025 about not participating in that project.
The Hungarian has not given an explicit statement about the withdrawal of Orbán's veto for now. He opposes peace solutions for Ukraine without its consent. Ukraine's sovereignty and internationally recognized borders are inviolable, and also, according to him, it must be clearly stated who is the aggressor and who is the victim in the war.
The Hungarian calls Orban's government a "puppet of the Kremlin". During the election campaign, the slogan "Russians out!" was often heard among Tisza voters. Hungarians want to act decisively against Russian influence in Hungary. According to him, Hungary wants to strongly diversify its energy supply in the future, but does not want to completely separate itself from Russian energy sources.
The Hungarian wants to examine the contracts with Russia, including the unpublished contract on the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant, and, if necessary, amend them. If Russian dictator Vladimir Putin called him, the Hungarian said, he would urge him to end the war against Ukraine. After the end of the war, he says, Europe could once again normalize relations with Moscow.
In the United States of America, the Hungarian sees an important partner with whom he should "cultivate good and close relations". Due to Donald Trump's clear support for Orban in the election campaign, Hungarians' attitude towards the American president is likely to remain reserved for now. The Hungarian says that for now he sees no reason to initiate a telephone conversation with Trump himself, but invites him to participate in the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the 1956 revolution in Budapest in October.
Within the European Union, Hungary strives for strong cooperation with the Central European states of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. He considers it desirable to expand the so-called Visegrad groups on Slovenia, Croatia and Romania. Central Europe must be a strong pillar within the EU, he says. A good relationship with Poland is especially important to him. There he will travel on his first trip abroad.
Under Orban, a number of politicians from Central and Southeastern Europe were granted asylum in Hungary, among them former Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and former Polish Minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro. Hungary will extradite them to their home countries if they have not already left the country, the Hungarian announced.
Real journalism costs money, and we will not be bought by tycoons and corporations. Support us with a one-time or monthly donation. The time for it is now!
Thousands of people gathered in Tirana for a new anti-government protest. Demonstrators threw stones at police and set fire to the entrance to the Ministry of Agriculture, while law enforcement responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.
The French Ministry of the Interior estimated that there were around 410.000 people at the protests, while the CGT union stated that there were close to 800.000. In Paris, the police used tear gas and water cannons
The Israeli human rights organization "Bethlehem" has condemned the plan for the "forced displacement of Palestinian residents" from a settlement in Hebron.
The Ministry of the Interior has announced that it will hire 70.000 police officers, which will increase the security presence in French cities.
"Now they are talking about the threat from Russia and the beginning of preparations for war with Russia, which, in my opinion, is a kind of political schizophrenia," said Russian President Vladimir Putin
There is, literally, no difference between the one who claims it is day in the middle of the night, or the one who claims to be a giraffe, from the claims we read on billboards: that Vučić is working to unify Serbs and that Serbia is doing better and better day by day.
The pre-election arrests due to the alleged "overthrow of the state" testify to the regime's panic. The bad news for them is - they can't arrest the whole people who decided to defend themselves from progressive beatings and election theft
The ring that tightens around Ćaciland Student list is getting narrower. Because there are more and more spoiled people who see the false prophet for what he is: a street obscener who is fighting Serbia
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
