Hungary Elections: There is hope that Peter Magyar can deliver a new beginning

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BEĞENDİM

ABONE OL

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Hungary stands at a historic crossroads. After more than a decade and a half under Viktor Orbán, the country faces a fundamental choice that will irreversibly shape its fate: a disgraceful slide toward authoritarianism inspired by Russia or a return to liberal democracy firmly anchored in Europe. For Hungary, the decisive moment has arrived.

This is a point of no return. It is a choice between a state captured by corrupt elites, driven by systemic impunity and sustained by an economy that has been drained and hollowed out despite billions of EU funding – or a state that delivers real opportunities for its citizens, with independent courts, investments in innovation, and a pluralistic democracy.

A victory for Orbán would embolden extremist forces across the continent

The direction Hungary takes now will define not only its own future, but the future of Europe itself. A victory for Orbán would embolden extremist forces across the continent and mark a triumph of illiberalism across Europe. Essential liberal freedoms are at stake. Europe cannot afford further erosion.

Orbán frames these elections as an existential choice between war and peace. His scaremongering rhetoric is built on fear. “Brussels is blackmailing Hungary,” and “war mafias in Kyiv hold back our oil”.

In Orbán’s propaganda, the European Union becomes an adversary, and support for Ukraine is portrayed as a threat to Hungarian sovereignty. It is a politics of distortion – one that replaces facts with anxiety and substitutes democratic debate with emotional manipulation.

Hungary is ranked among the most corrupt countries in the EU

Yet the bully is not the EU. Orbán is the destroyer. Hungary’s daily reality reflects this. Orbán promises prosperity, but forecasts have repeatedly fallen short. Wages remain roughly half the EU average, and living standards lag behind much of Europe. Hungary’s education system is under strain, and regional inequalities persist. The promise of stability has not translated into shared prosperity.

Although Hungary has been one of the largest beneficiaries of EU cohesion funds since joining in 2004, billions have flowed into the country. Under the corrupt Orbán regime, however, these resources systematically fail to reach those who need them most.

Instead, entrenched corruption has hollowed out their impact and weakened public trust. Organizations like Transparency International consistently rank Hungary among the most corrupt countries in the EU, alongside Bulgaria. This is not just a statistic – it is an Orbán-made system that undermines growth, fairness, and opportunity.

An new leadership would be a chance

The alternative path is the hope of a pro-European Hungary that is a constructive and reliable member of both the EU and NATO. We have clear expectations towards a new leadership in Hungary: It would be the chance of a Hungary which would rebuild democratic institutions, implement genuine rule-of-law reforms, and establish robust anti-corruption mechanisms.

These are not abstract ideals. They are practical prerequisites for unlocking EU funds that can transform lives: improving schools, modernizing rural infrastructure, supporting small businesses, fostering innovation, and creating well-paid jobs.

Magyar could bring Hungary back onto a pro-European path

There is hope that Peter Magyar can truly deliver a new beginning. He often emphasizes that he represents an anti-establishment force – one that is not bound by the logic of old parties or the constraints of the status quo, and that stands apart from entrenched power networks.

This is, at the very least, a promising intention that now needs to be translated into action. There is also reason to believe that he is serious about bringing the country back onto a pro-European path – that this core promise will not remain mere rhetoric, but will become a tangible and credible reality.

This is the benchmark against which he will have to prove himself. We expect this return to the European path to be more than institutional reform. It must mean healing a deeply divided society, restoring trust in public life, and giving citizens a renewed sense of fairness and opportunity.

If Orbán remains, Hungary would drift even further from the EU

It must mean aligning Hungary once again with the values that underpin the European project: democracy, transparency, solidarity, and respect for the rule of law. But the stakes are equally clear in the opposite direction. If Orbán remains in power, Hungary will not recover from irreversible democratic backsliding. The country would drift even further from the EU, becoming an increasingly disruptive and dangerous actor within it.

What we are witnessing is not a temporary deviation, but the consolidation of a system that steadily dismantles democratic checks and balances. At that point, the EU will face tough but necessary decisions. A Member State that systematically undermines common values and collaborates with adversaries – particularly on highly sensitive issues such as foreign policy or support for Ukraine – cannot continue without consequences.

Now, this moment belongs to the Hungarian people

The EU needs clear answers to address continued obstruction, veto abuse, and strategic alignment against European interests. This must inevitably lead to rethinking unanimity rules, limiting veto powers in sensitive areas, and imposing sharp tools to protect and defend the integrity of the Union as a powerful and united EU. For progress in the EU, we finally need to abandon the principle of one size fits all.

In key projects, like-minded Member States should be enabled to go ahead. A Europe at gradual speed should not be a taboo anymore. Now, this moment belongs to the Hungarian people. The choice is not between war and peace. It is between fear and progress, isolation and partnership, stagnation and renewal. Hungarians now hold in their hands whether their country will stand on the wrong or the strong side of European history.

Valérie Hayer is President of the Renew Europe group in the EU Parliament. The French jurist is substitute of the Committee on Budgetsand member of the European Parliament since 2019.