The era of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been in power for 16 years, has come to an end as Peter Marki-Zay, the leader of the center-right party United for Hungary, took the oath as the country's new prime minister.
45-year-old Peter Marki-Zay achieved a resounding victory in the parliamentary elections held last month. His party won 141 seats in the 199-member parliament, securing a clear majority, after which he officially became the Prime Minister of Hungary.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the historic Parliament House in the capital, Budapest. The notable aspect of the ceremony was that the European Union flag was re-hoisted inside the parliament for the first time in 12 years, which the new government considered a symbol of restoring relations with Europe.
Peter Marki-Zay said in his address that Hungary is now entering a new era of change and major decisions will be made to pull the country out of political and economic stagnation. He appealed to the people to move forward with the change of system.
According to analysts, the new government will face several major challenges, including restoring deteriorated relations with the European Union, improving the economy, and controlling the growing budget deficit.
During Viktor Orban's tenure, Hungary's relations with Russia strengthened, while differences with the European Union increased. Due to concerns over human rights and the rule of law, the European Union has frozen nearly $20 billion in funds for Hungary, which the new government will try to restore.
Political experts say that Peter Marki-Zay's biggest test will be to eliminate the influence of the former government and prove himself different from Orban's policies. Although Marki-Zay is ideologically right-wing, his victory is being seen as a major change in Hungarian politics.
It is clear that Peter Marki-Zay was not well-known in Hungarian politics before 2024, but after differences with Viktor Orban's party Fidesz, he was able to quickly gain popularity.