End of the Orban era: Hungary and Europe breathe again

The end of the Orban era began with a simple Facebook post on a blue background at 9:11 p.m. CET on Sunday evening. The message, posted by Hungary's opposition leader Peter Magyar, was concise and to the point: "Prime Minister Viktor Orban just congratulated me on the phone on our victory." Although only about half of the votes cast in Hungary's parliamentary election had been counted at that point, the resounding defeat of Orban's Fidesz party and the historic victory of the opposition Tisza party of Peter Magyar were already becoming apparent. Largest majority since the end of communism Despite starting the election campaign from an incredibly strong position after 16 years in power, Fidesz was simply swept aside by the Hungarian electorate. Tisza, on the other hand, got the largest two-thirds majority achieved by a party since the end of the communist dictatorship in Hungary in 1989/90. What's more, it did so with a record turnout of almost 80%. It was this overwhelming outcome that led to something that many in Hungary no longer considered possible after 16 years of Orban's autocratic rule: Just ten minutes after Magyar's Facebook post, the outgoing prime minister took to the stage and briefly conceded defeat in front of a few hundred supporters. Orban said that his party would "serve our country and the Hungarian nation from the opposition," adding that they would "never, never, never give up." Party atmosphere A short time later, cheering crowds of predominantly young people poured onto the streets of Budapest and other towns and cities across the country. In scenes reminiscent of 1989/90, tens of thousands celebrated the end of Orban's rule. The country's largest independent online news outlets wrote of the "end of tyranny" and the "toppling of the Orban system" or simply said "It's over." Meanwhile, Peter Magyar gave a 40-minute victory speech in front of thousands of supporters. His address featured many emotional statements and big promises but no triumphalism or vengefulness. It was a speech with both clever announcements and conciliatory words for those who voted for Orban.After the first results were announced on Sunday evening, supporters of the Tisza party celebrated Peter Magyar's victory and the end of the Orban eraImage: Bernadett Szabo/REUTERS "From today, our country is alive again," he said. "We have been empowered to build a functioning and humane country. We will work every minute and every second to earn this trust." 'A strong partner to NATO and the EU' When he said that Hungary will once again be a European country and a strong partner to NATO and the EU, the crowd started chanting "Russians go home!" and later "Europe! Europe!" Magyar called on the country's most senior civil servants, the president, the attorney general and the two highest-ranking members of the judiciary to resign and promised to restore the system of checks and balances. He also extended a hand to Fidesz voters: "I will also be your prime minister and ensure that we will be able to accept each other, even if we do not hold the same opinions."'A new era' Many Hungarian political scientists liberally peppered their initial analyses late Sunday evening with superlatives. Election expert Robert Laszlo of the Political Capital institute wrote on Telex of "a new era" and the fact that with a two-thirds majority, Tisza could start the "demolition of the Orban regime." Political scientist Daniel Rona said that when it comes to the reason for Fidesz's defeat "Orban must look in the mirror."Viktor Orban (center) conceded defeat in a brief address to his supporters on Sunday evening Image: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP Indeed, the election result can really only be understood in the light of the the Orban system's years of arrogance, high-handedness and abuse of power. The outgoing prime minister cleansed state and public administration of disloyal civil servants and brought the judiciary and large parts of the media under his thumb while constantly claiming that Hungary was the freest country in Europe. He built a profoundly corrupt system, while simultaneously proclaiming that no one defended the country's interests better than he. During the Orban era, which started in 2010, when Fidesz won its first two-thirds majority, all critics were seen as traitors and enemies of the nation. For 16 years, Hungary was stuck in a never-ending campaign of hate, which recently culminated in a series of outrageous, absurdly grotesque accusations against Ukraine. At the same time, Orban spent years ingratiating himself in the most degrading manner with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other autocrats. Several factors led to the historic result For a long time, many Hungarian observers felt that it was no longer possible to oust Orban peacefully at the ballot box. Several key factors combined to make the seemingly impossible possible — and gave a democratic opposition party an historic two-thirds majority in the process. Firstly, there was the profound wish of a large majority of Hungarians to no longer live in the Orban system; secondly, blatantly distorted electoral laws that worked against Orban in this election; thirdly, a talented, charismatic political leader and fourthly, the withdrawal of almost all other opposition parties from the election.Tens of thousands of people attended what was billed as a 'concert for the demolition of the system' on Heroes' Square in Budapest on April 10Image: Ferenc Isza/AFP It is also likely that the increasingly open support for Orban from Moscow and Washington latterly proved a handicap for the autocratic prime minister. Orban's defeat is a major personal blow for both Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump because both supported Orban openly — and in the case of Russia behind the scenes, too. What lies ahead? Whether Orban's defeat marks the beginning of the end of populist right-wing conservatism and right-wing extremism in Europe is hard to say. Orban ally, co-founder of Fidesz and far-right writer Zsolt Bayer certainly seemed pessimistic in this respect, noting on Sunday evening that Hungary had been the "bastion of patriots" and that with the fall of this bastion "the hope of building a Europe of strong nation states was now lost for a long time." In stark contrast, many governments across Europe congratulated election winner Peter Magyar late Sunday evening. They undoubtedly hope that the days of vetoes, ongoing blockades and agitation are now over and that more normality will return to the EU. It is impossible to say at this time how quickly the system in Hungary can be changed and how successful the change will be. Marton Gergely, writer and editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper HVG, expressed the hope that Peter Magyar will not abuse his overwhelming parliamentary majority, adding that it was now up to the winner to prove that he will rebuild democracy, even though, as Gergely put it, "the figures mean he wouldn't need to." This article was originally published in German.