Hungary’s Magyar Pushes Swift Power Transfer, Urges President To Step Down After Election Win

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief, reporting from Budapest, Hungary

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar pushed for a rapid transfer of power after his landslide victory, urging President Tamás Sulyok to step down following talks at the presidential palace.

Magyar said he wants the first meeting of the new National Assembly to be held on May 4, when all official election results are expected, with the new government formed within days.

Sulyok said he would convene parliament “at the earliest possible date” after the final results are announced and confirmed, and he would formally propose Magyar as prime minister.

The 45-year-old leader, whose center-right Tisza Party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority, said the president was “unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation” and should resign once the new government takes office.

CONSIDERING REMOVING PRESIDENT

Magyar warned that if Sulyok refused to step down, parliament could remove him as part of broader institutional reforms following the end of Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.

He met Sulyok at the presidential palace, while Orbán—whose Fidesz party was swept from power—later entered through a side entrance, avoiding reporters.

Magyar suggested his victory was remarkable, saying Orbán’s allies control up to 80 percent of Hungary’s media and spread “hundreds of lies” daily about him and his party.

In rare appearances on state media, he pledged to suspend current news operations and establish a new public broadcasting authority to ensure press freedom.

PRESS FREEDOM CONCERNS

However, his plans are expected to be closely watched by press freedom advocates who previously accused Orbán of taking similar steps.

“Every Hungarian deserves public service media that broadcasts the truth,” Magyar said, while denying he sought personal revenge despite attacks on him and his family.

Magyar rejected media questions on whether he was coordinating with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He described such suggestions as politically motivated, while signaling he would not block a 90 billion euro (about $106 billion) European Union loan for Ukraine, though Hungary may not take part directly.

Magyar is also seeking to restore ties with the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, after years of tensions under Orbán, which led to billions in frozen funds over rule-of-law concerns.

ECONOMIC CHALLENGES AHEAD

He has already held talks with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to unlock up to 35 billion euros (about $41 billion) in funding that has been suspended or frozen over rule-of-law concerns, though Brussels has stressed that reforms are required.

Hungary’s economy has struggled in recent years, adding urgency to negotiations with European officials expected to visit Budapest as early as Friday.

While celebrated in EU headquarters, Magyar’s victory also came as a setback for U.S. President Donald J. Trump, who had backed Orbán during the election campaign.

Trump had sent Vice President JD Vance and earlier Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Budapest in support of Orbán. However, after those efforts failed to sway voters, Trump praised Magyar, saying “the new man will do well,” signaling a shift after previously backing Orbán.

MAINTAINING CLOSE RELATIONS

Magyar has made clear that while he seeks good relations with Washington and other governments, it will be up to Hungarians to write their own history.

He has pledged sweeping reforms to Hungary’s political and media systems, aiming to reverse what the European Parliament previously described as an “electoral autocracy.”

The incoming leader said his government could take office by mid-May, marking a rapid political transition after one of Hungary’s most decisive election outcomes since the end of communism.

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