On May 9, 2026, Péter Magyar became Hungary’s new prime minister, ending 16 years of Viktor Orbán’s rule. I recently travelled through the country to find out how the promised U-turn towards democracy is unfolding. Here is what I learnt from five people I met.
Joci Marton is a gay Roma artist and belongs to two communities that faced discrimination and hostility under Orbán’s government. Since May, he says, everyday life feels different. “All the propaganda from the state media and the billboards is no longer part of our lives. You’re not a fighter anymore, holding your fists up in front of your face because you don’t know where the next punch is coming from.”
Zsófia Fülöp works as a fact-checker for the Hungarian outlet Lakmusz. Under the previous government, she says, the sheer volume of misinformation was overwhelming: “There were so many lies and fake news – our team was far too small to deal with them all.” Magyar, she says, does not always stick to the truth either. But the political climate has changed: smear campaigns against opponents have largely disappeared, and when she asks ministries for information, she now receives answers.
Ákos Hadházy is a veterinarian who turned to politics years ago. As an opposition MP, he has exposed numerous corruption scandals. He remains somewhat sceptical of the new government: “Péter Magyar works hard and talks well. But a genuine systemic change will only have been achieved when the thieves have been put in prison.”
Erzsébet Törökné Pethő is one of 15 teachers who were fired during the nationwide strikes in 2022. Thousands took to the streets to protest the politically driven curriculum and chronic underfunding of Hungary’s education system. Much of what she has seen since the change of government gives her hope. Unlike under Orbán, when education was placed under the Interior Ministry, Hungary now has a dedicated education minister who, she says, is competent and willing to talk to teachers’ and students’ associations. At the same time, Magyar’s displays of power and sometimes aggressive style remind her of another politician: “I see shades of the young Orbán in him.”
András Léderer is a human rights defender at the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, the country’s oldest NGO. After 16 years under Orbán, he says, Hungary has lost the habit of democratic debate. Even within Magyar’s Tisza party, he rarely sees MPs openly disagreeing with one another. And with Tisza holding a two-thirds majority in parliament, there is little need to engage in debate with other parties. Rebuilding democracy will take time, Léderer says. Politicians, institutions and civil society all need to relearn how democracy works.