"Hungary is in a state of euphoria, waiting for "The Man" to take the oath of office as prime minister on May 9. P ter Magyar is the man who was part of Fidesz's inner circle before challenging Viktor Orb n and then defeating him in the April 12 election, sparking enthusiasm all over Europe. "The Man" is the way Magyar labels himself on social media, as if he were the star of a Netflix series or a teen idol. A huge celebration has been planned in Kossuth Square, in Budapest, to mark Magyar's inauguration and his party Tisza's entry into Parliament."
"Anyone deviating from the party schedule is being labeled a killjoy, as the mayor of Budapest soon experienced. When Gergely Kar csony launched a concert "to mark the end of the system" on May 8, he found an angry comment from the future prime minister posted on his Facebook feed, reminding him of the capital's dire economic situation. Kar csony rearranged his plans to match those of the party that controls not only the government but also Parliament."
"Thanks to the electoral law inherited from the Orb n regime, with 53 percent of the vote, the Tisza party has 141 of the 199 seats. This is what is called a "supermajority," and it allows Magyar to do what he wants: not only change the Constitution, but also draft a new one, as he has already said he plans to do."
"Now, the man who came from the Fidesz system and who benefited from it before the split in February 2024 truly has enough power to do whatever he wants. And that's the point: Intellectuals can't get drunk on celebrations. Keeping our mind clear and alert is the best way to honor Hungarians' huge participation and commitment to change. "It's not the man himself, but the change he promises," young people told me a few days before the elections in a crowded "Regime-Change Concert" (Rendszerbont Nagykoncert) in Budapest. Will these expectations be satisfied?"
Hungary is preparing for Péter Magyar’s oath as prime minister on May 9, with major celebrations planned in Budapest’s Kossuth Square. Magyar, formerly part of Fidesz’s inner circle, challenged Viktor Orbán and won the April 12 election, fueling enthusiasm across Europe. Party control shapes public events, with deviations criticized as killjoy behavior, as shown when Budapest’s mayor adjusted plans after receiving an angry Facebook comment. Tisza’s 53 percent vote share yields 141 of 199 parliamentary seats under an electoral law inherited from the Orbán regime, creating a supermajority. This enables Magyar to change the Constitution and draft a new one, raising questions about whether promised change matches expectations.
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