Good morning from Brussels, which is awakening this morning to a new dawn in Hungarian politics as Viktor Orb\u00e1n is ousted after 16 uninterrupted years in power. I\u2019m Mared Gwyn.<\/p>\n
After a rancorous and bitter electoral campaign in which Hungary\u2019s place in Europe and the world took centre stage, P\u00e9ter Magyar<\/a> — a former Orb\u00e1n confidant who broke ranks with the Fidesz party to lead the conservative Tisza Party just two years ago — has won a supermajority of an estimated 138 of the 199 seats in parliament, and is now poised to become the Hungarian Prime Minister.<\/p>\n It brings 16 years of Orb\u00e1n\u2019s controversial rule, in which he made Hungary a self-styled \u201cpetri dish for illiberalism\u201d and maintained close ties to the Kremlin, to an abrupt end \u2013 and it could mean a radical reshaping of Hungary\u2019s relations with the EU.<\/p>\n In his victory speech<\/a> delivered in an electric atmosphere at the heart of Budapest last night, Magyar hailed the \u201cstrongest mandate\u201d handed to a politician in the history of Hungarian democracy and vowed to unlock around \u20ac17 billion in EU funds frozen by Brussels due to concerns over Orb\u00e1n\u2019s progressive undoing of democratic standards and media freedom.<\/p>\n \u201cHungary will once again be a strong ally representing Hungarian interests, because our country’s place is in Europe,\u201d Magyar said.<\/p>\n Magyar\u2019s rise to power has instilled a sense of optimism in Brussels. The gradual erosion of the rule of law in Hungary under Orb\u00e1n, and the outgoing premier\u2019s persistent use of his veto power to stall sanctions on Russia and packages of support to Ukraine \u2013 including a critical \u20ac90 billion EU loan to Kyiv \u2013 has gained Hungary a reputation as the biggest thorn in Brussels\u2019 side.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s result prompted an outpouring of congratulations from Brussels and other EU capitals. \u201cEurope\u2019s heart is beating stronger in Hungary tonight,\u201d European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote. Magyar received calls on Sunday night from von der Leyen as well as NATO chief Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.<\/p>\n In his message of congratulations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his wish to \u201cadvance\u201d cooperation with Hungary. Orb\u00e1n had centred his campaign around his animosity towards Zelenskyy, accusing the Ukrainian leader of sabotaging the Druzhba pipeline which carried Russian crude to Hungary and blocking the \u20ac90 billion loan as a result.<\/p>\n But EU officials are also wary Magyar, while pro-European and a firm supporter of the EU and NATO, could also adopt a critical position on the bloc\u2019s Ukraine policy to avoid alienating entrenched Fidesz voters. Magyar has said Hungary will continue to refuse to send arms to Kyiv, and that Ukraine\u2019s EU accession should be tied to concrete conditions and a referendum in Hungary.<\/p>\n One senior EU official described Sunday\u2019s historic result as a \u201cnew leaf\u201d but warned that things will not be \u201cplain sailing\u201d, adding that the Magyar government faces the momentous task of undoing the democratic backsliding engineered by Orb\u00e1n if it is to tap into funds locked down by Brussels.<\/p>\n The historic result comes as a major blow to Orb\u00e1n\u2019s rightwing allies across Europe and in Washington. The outgoing leader had become a figurehead for the European far right and one of the closest Trump allies on the continent, with US Vice President JD Vance travelling to Budapest to bolster his campaign days before the election.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n\u2019s defeat casts doubt over the pervasiveness of the Make Europe Great Again movement that has been exported from the US to Europe. Yet, analysts also say other like-minded leaders could take up his fight. Slovakia\u2019s leader Robert Fico has said he could continue to block aid to Ukraine, while opinion polls in other countries \u2013 including France \u2013 suggest the ultranationalist, Eurosceptic right-wing is knocking on the doors of other EU governments.<\/p>\n There has been no reaction yet from the Kremlin, which has lost in Orb\u00e1n what many critics described as a Trojan Horse in the EU. Explosive reports that the Hungarian Foreign Minister under Orb\u00e1n had been briefing his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on confidential ministerial meetings in Brussels had delivered a blow to the Orb\u00e1n campaign.<\/p>\n We have more analysis and reactions, including from former European Council President Charles Michel, in special broadcasts of Europe Today this morning at 8am, 9am and 10am Brussels time. Watch live on Euronews<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump orders Strait of Hormuz blockade after US-Iran talks fail in Islamabad<\/p>\n On Sunday, a long day of diplomacy between the US and Iran in Pakistan\u2019s capital of Islamabad ended with a sharp turn, when US President Donald Trump said the US Navy would \u201cimmediately\u201d begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world\u2019s most critical shipping routes.<\/p>\n \u201cI have instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International waters that has paid a toll to Iran,\u201d Trump said in a Truth Social post. \u201cNo one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage.<\/p>\n US Central Command (Centcom) has indicated the blockade could start at 10am Eastern Time (15.00 CET) today, with Iran warning such a move would violate the fragile two-week ceasefire which is hanging by a thread.<\/p>\n Oil prices spiked again in response to Trump\u2019s threats when trading opened earlier this morning, with US crude oil jumping to over $104 a barrel.<\/p>\n Aadel Haleem has more<\/a>.<\/p>\n More from our newsrooms<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV urges immediate ceasefire amid Israel-Hezbollah clashes. The Pope called for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continues, urging all parties to respect international law and protect civilians. Watch.<\/a><\/p>\n No clouds on the horizon: France and Portugal strengthen their relationship with Treaty of Porto. The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries entered into force this Sunday, a partnership ‘at the service of the French and the Portuguese, and of a Europe that decides for itself’. Ricardo Figueira and Alexander Kazakevich havethe details<\/a>.<\/p>\n We’re also keeping an eye on<\/p>\n EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addresses UN Security Council in New York<\/p>\n European Parliament President Roberta Metsola visits Madrid<\/p>\n Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez continues China visit<\/p>\n