Hungary After Orbán: What the New Government Faces

In a ynet news podcast, reporter Yair Navot explained how Hungary’s new prime minister, Peter Magyar, is confronting the legacy of Viktor Orbán’s long rule. Orbán described his system as an “illiberal democracy,” with elections still held legally but with the rules gradually reshaped to favor him, including control over private media narratives, the courts, the prosecutor’s office and the election committee.

Navot said those institutions were staffed by regime loyalists, and that ordinary Hungarians increasingly felt and disliked the changes. That public frustration helped fuel opposition to Orbán ahead of the April election, and Magyar’s popularity rose as voting approached.

Magyar, Navot said, is especially threatening to Orbán because he knows the system from the inside and was previously married to the justice minister who served under Orbán. His main task now is to repair the serious damage caused by the previous government, which means dealing with a whole network of laws and institutions, a process that will take time.

On Israel, Navot said Orbán’s governments were strongly pro-Israel and that his ties with Benjamin Netanyahu were very good, though based on mutual interests. He argued that Magyar’s arrival does not mean Hungary will turn against Israel, since Magyar has also said he wants warm relations. But Hungary’s priorities are broader, centered on repairing ties with the European Union, which could mean aligning with EU positions on Israel. Navot said it is therefore unlikely Hungary will veto harsh resolutions against Israel.