Péter Magyar sworn in as Hungary's prime minister, ending Orbán's 16-year rule

Péter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary's prime minister on Saturday, marking the formal end of Viktor Orbán's 16 years in power. The 45-year-old centre-right leader took the oath of office in parliament before hundreds of people gathered outside to watch on screens.

Magyar's Tisza party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections held April 12, securing 141 of the 199 seats in the National Assembly. The party was founded just two years ago. Orbán's Fidesz party, which held 135 seats before the election, dropped to 52 seats.

In his speech after taking the oath, Magyar said he would not "rule over Hungary" but would "serve my country." He told lawmakers that Hungarians had given his party "a mandate to put an end to decades of drifting" and "a mandate to open a new chapter in Hungary's history. Not only to change the government, but to change the system as well. To start again."

Magyar invited Hungarians to "step through the gate of regime change" and to join him in writing Hungarian history together. Tens of thousands of people gathered outside parliament along the Danube for what organizers called a "celebration of freedom and democracy."

The swearing-in ceremony came almost a month after the April elections. Magyar's victory was described as a stunning blow to Orbán's nationalist-populist movement and rattled the global far right. The result reset Hungary's long-strained relationship with the European Union.

A symbolic change in power was evident when the EU flag was raised outside Hungary's parliament building on Saturday afternoon for the first time since Orbán's government removed it in 2014.

Magyar faces several challenges in his new role, including restoring Budapest's relations with the EU, reviving the economy, and addressing a budget deficit that reached almost three-quarters of its full-year target by April. The country experienced years of economic stagnation under Orbán's rule.

The Tisza party's two-thirds parliamentary majority will allow it to roll back many policies implemented during Orbán's tenure. Magyar's victory gave his party more votes and seats in parliament than any other party in Hungary's post-Communist history.

Shortly after taking office, Magyar called on President Tamas Sulyok to resign by May 31. Speaking at the first session of the newly elected parliament, Magyar said Sulyok had no right to remain in office because he had covered up wrongdoings of Orbán's previous government in recent years. Magyar accused Sulyok of failing to prevent abuses of power in the social, political, and financial spheres instead of serving as a guardian of the constitution and the rule of law.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Magyar on his appointment, noting that the inauguration took place on Europe Day. Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to deepen cooperation with Hungary and build strong relations based on good neighborliness and respect for both nations' people.

Magyar was once a Fidesz party operative before leaving the party on March 15, 2024, to join Tisza. He is described as pro-European and a centre-right politician, distinct from the far-right characterization of his predecessor.