Hungary’s new leader once idolized Orbán — now he’s the man who brought him down

Péter Magyar has gone from governmental outsider to Hungary’s astir powerful leader almost overnight.

The 44-year-old lawyer and erstwhile insider successful erstwhile Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling statement swept to victory successful Hungary’s 2026 election, ending Orbán’s 16-year norm and stunning Europe.

"Thank you to each Hungarian astatine location and astir nan world!" he wrote connected X. "It is an immense grant that you person empowered america to shape a authorities pinch nan astir votes ever received, and to activity for nan adjacent 4 years for a free, European, functioning, and humane Hungary."

Here are nan cardinal things to cognize astir nan man now group to lead Hungary.

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Péter Magyar has gone from governmental outsider to Hungary’s astir powerful leader almost overnight. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/Nur Photo via Getty Images)

He grew up admiring Viktor Orbán

Magyar was calved successful 1981 successful Budapest, Hungary, into a family of lawyers. He was conscionable 9 years aged erstwhile communism collapsed successful Hungary and nan state held its first antiauthoritarian elections.

As a child, he idolized Orbán, who astatine nan clip was a young anti-Communist activistic demanding that Soviet troops time off Hungary. Magyar has said he kept a photograph of Orbán connected his chamber wall, Reuters reported.

That early admiration makes his emergence each nan much remarkable: nan boy who erstwhile saw Orbán arsenic a leader yet became nan leader who ended his rule.

He comes from nan aforesaid governmental world 

Before becoming Orbán’s biggest challenger, Magyar was portion of nan aforesaid Hungarian governmental establishment.

He spent years wrong Orbán’s blimpish Fidesz activity and worked successful positions connected to nan Hungarian state. Because of that background, analysts opportunity Magyar understands nan strategy from nan inside.

"He’s an insider," said Helena Ivanov, an subordinate investigation chap astatine nan Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a London-based overseas argumentation deliberation tank. "He knows and understands nan wrong retired of nan Hungarian governmental system."

That insider status, she added, was "exceptionally important" to his success.

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Before becoming Orbán’s biggest challenger, Magyar was portion of nan aforesaid Hungarian governmental establishment. (Denes Erdos/AP)

He studied rule and worked successful government

Like galore members of Hungary’s governmental elite, Magyar trained arsenic a lawyer.

After studying law, he entered nationalist service. When his then-wife took a position successful Brussels, Magyar joined Hungary’s negotiated corps and worked connected European Union legislation.

After returning to Hungary, he held elder positions astatine a state-owned slope and later ran Hungary’s student indebtedness agency.

His inheritance gave him acquisition successful some Brussels and nan Hungarian bureaucracy, helping him position himself arsenic a span betwixt Hungary and nan European Union.

His matrimony made him portion of Orbán’s soul circle

Magyar joined Judit Varga successful 2006. Varga later became 1 of Orbán’s astir salient ministers and served arsenic Hungary’s justness minister.

For years, that matrimony placed Magyar adjacent to nan halfway of powerfulness successful Hungary. 

The mates had 3 sons, but their matrimony yet collapsed down. They divided successful 2023, soon earlier Magyar launched his governmental rebellion.

The 44-year-old lawyer and erstwhile insider successful erstwhile Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling statement swept to triumph successful Hungary’s 2026 election, ending nan 16-year norm of Orbán, pictured here, and stunning Europe.  (Denes Erdos/The Associated Press )

He collapsed pinch Orbán aft a awesome scandal

Magyar’s governmental translator began aft a ungraded that rocked Hungary successful 2024.

Varga resigned aft nationalist outrage complete a pardon linked to a kid intersexual maltreatment case. The ungraded opened a uncommon ace successful Orbán’s government.

Magyar publically collapsed pinch Fidesz, accusing nan government of corruption and propaganda.

For Ivanov, that infinitesimal was decisive.

"The cardinal breakdown was nan truth that Orbán’s authorities participated successful a cover-up … and that yet led him to commencement his ain governmental campaign," she said.

Until 2024, astir Hungarians had hardly heard of Magyar. Then he gave a high-profile question and reply and launched a caller governmental movement. (Marton Monus/Reuters)

He became an instant governmental star 

Until 2024, astir Hungarians had hardly heard of Magyar. 

Then he gave a high-profile question and reply and launched a caller governmental movement. Within months, he transformed himself into nan look of Hungary’s opposition.

His Tisza statement won 30% successful nan 2024 European elections, earlier defeating Fidesz nationally little than 2 years later.

Ivanov said his accelerated emergence came down to strategy.

"He was capable to seizure nan hearts and minds of nan Hungarian group by focusing … connected nan soul issues that were their cardinal grievances," she said.

He is much pro-European than Orbán, but still conservative

Magyar is not a accepted wide politician.

Like Orbán, he opposes forbidden immigration, supports Hungary’s separator obstruction and rejects European Union migrant quotas.

"When it comes to immigration, I’m not really that judge that we’re going to spot overmuch of a change," Ivanov told Fox News Digital. "Magyar truthful acold has made it clear that nan obstruction primitively built by Orbán will enactment successful place. He has said that he is not going to support nan EU migration pact."

"So that’s 1 point wherever we whitethorn perchance spot immoderate continuity, aliases astatine slightest immoderate overlap, betwixt Magyar and Orbán," she added. "But … bringing nan state backmost to a unchangeable populist is 1 of nan cardinal priorities that Magyar has."

But dissimilar Orbán, he has pledged to rebuild ties pinch nan European Union and unlock stiff EU funds.

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Magyar describes himself arsenic belief and often emphasizes family life. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Ivanov said nan displacement could beryllium significant, particularly aft years of deteriorating relations pinch Brussels.

"He has promised to rebuild nan narration betwixt nan European Union and Hungary," she said.

Still, she cautioned that tensions whitethorn remain, peculiarly complete Russia and Ukraine policy.

Religion and family are cardinal to his image

Magyar describes himself arsenic belief and often emphasizes family life.

He has said he enjoys cooking and playing shot pinch his sons.

That image has helped him entreaty to blimpish voters who were disillusioned pinch Orbán but not fresh to support a left-wing alternative.

He won by campaigning differently

Magyar built his triumph done a grassroots campaign. He focused connected corruption, costs of surviving and vexation aft 16 years nether 1 leader.

Because Orbán’s friends controlled overmuch of Hungary’s media, he relied heavy connected societal media, agrarian outreach and nonstop elector engagement.

Ivanov said that attack was not conscionable strategic, but necessary.

"The power that Orbán had complete nan media meant Magyar had to straight prosecute pinch nan people," she said.

Ivanov noted that Magyar did not look connected authorities tv for 18 months. His first quality came only aft his victory, during what she described arsenic "a very heated conversation" successful which he accused Hungarian authorities media of carrying retired "North Korean-style propaganda" nether Orbán.

Péter Magyar, leader of nan TISZA party, arrives pinch a nationalist emblem for a rally successful Tarnok, Hungary, Oct. 20, 2025. Magyar was elected premier curate successful a landslide triumph connected April 12, 2026. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty images)

Now, aft years arsenic an insider and hardly 2 years arsenic an guidance figure, Magyar is preparing to return power.

Magyar has already signaled that he intends to move quickly against officials tied to nan aged system. 

In a station connected X connected Wednesday, he said he had arrived astatine nan statesmanlike palace to meet Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok.

"Tamás Sulyok is unworthy of representing nan unity of nan Hungarian nation," Magyar wrote. "He is unfit to service arsenic nan guardian of legality. He is not fresh to service arsenic a civilized authority aliases a domiciled model."

"Following nan statement of nan caller government, Tamás Sulyok must time off agency immediately."

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As a child, Magyar idolized Orbán, who astatine nan clip was a young anti-Communist activistic demanding that Soviet troops time off Hungary. (Denes Erdos/The Associated Press )

Ivanov called nan consequence "a immense triumph for democracy," but said that reversing years of organization power "is not going to beryllium an easy process … apt a years-long process."

Reuters contributed to this report.