Hello from Brussels, where you could almost feel the collective sigh of relief across EU institutions on the 12th night of the fourth month of this year when the news broke: after 16 years, Hungary\u2019s voters had shown Viktor Orban the door.<\/p>\n
The longest-serving prime minister in the European Union \u2014 and arguably its most persistent troublemaker \u2014 was on his way out. For officials here, it wasn\u2019t just a change of government in Budapest, it was the end of an era of obstruction.<\/p>\n
Orban\u2019s vetoes often jammed decision-making, especially on foreign policy and, most critically, on everything to do with Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The Hungarian elections \u2014 rarely covered with such nervous attention \u2014 had Europeans glued to their screens on April 12. It was one of those evenings when champagne bottles sat chilling in fridges but nobody dared pop them open before certainty crystallised. Only when Orban conceded did the corks fly and a distinctive wave of euphoria swept most EU capitals.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article.<\/p>\n
Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tBuy Premium Subscription<\/p>\n
Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n