Hungary vote: Opposition leads, but no quick shift toward Kyiv expected

Even if Hungary’s opposition Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar, wins, a rapid normalisation of relations between Budapest and Kyiv is unlikely, as Magyar cannot be clearly described as unequivocally pro-European or pro-Ukrainian, Politico writes.

According to the publication, European Union officials are nonetheless hoping that Hungary’s opposition Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, will prevail in the April 12 parliamentary elections. Pre-election polls show Magyar leading incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán by around 8 percentage points.

Magyar has built his campaign around accusations of corruption, ineffective governance, and cronyism during Orbán’s 15 years in power. At the same time, his party voted in the European Parliament against granting Ukraine a €90 billion loan, and he has opposed fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU accession as well as supplying weapons to Kyiv.

In a 2024 interview with Politico, Magyar described Tisza as a pro-European force but criticized the idea of an EU “superstate” and stressed his distance from the Brussels establishment.

Despite this, the EU and Ukraine reportedly hope that a new Hungarian government would avoid deliberately obstructing pan-European initiatives — a practice often attributed to Orbán’s cabinet.

By Khagan Isayev