Daniel Nolan is a Budapest-based award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster from Manchester, England. His work on Hungary and CEE has appeared in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle and numerous other outlets. He won a Foreign Press Association Award in 2018 and was named a European Press Prize laureate in 2016 and 2019.
The measures the EU is preparing to protect its internal market from Chinese trade practices could affect China’s investments in Hungary, which would put Péter Magyar's government in difficulty.
Péter Magyar's government is made up of a mix of independent experts, critics of Viktor Orbán, and former collaborators. The criterion that mattered most in choosing ministers seems to have been competence, which is a change from the Orbán era, when political connections and loyalty to the boss mattered.
Viktor Orbán is a die-hard football fan, and the game even has a place in his political philosophy. He built the stadium that will host the Champions League final, but on the night of the final, the place of honor will go to his successor, Peter Magyar. The story can also be seen as a parable for what is happening these days with Hungary and the system built by Orbán.
The events – and even the images – of recent days in Budapest are reminiscent of a Martin Scorsese film. A man from of a new generation, Péter Magyar, has overthrown the “old wolf” Viktor Orbán and promises to tear down the corrupt system he built, without, however, renouncing the right-wing ideology of his former boss.
Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party resorted to false narratives, an army of bots (some previously used in the Romanian elections), artificial intelligence programs and cloned websites in their election campaign. All with a little help from their [Russian] friends.
Viktor Orbán has channelled significant funds to Hungarians in Romania and in turn they have voted massively for Fidesz, while UDMR has aligned itself with Budapest's policies. A victory for Péter Magyar in the elections could lead to cracks in the machinery built by Orbán in Transylvania.