Peter Magyar is the second cousin of the former president of Hungary and the grandson of a judge
Hungary has a new leader, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule. Péter Magyar, who was virtually unknown just a year ago, will now be responsible for Hungary’s policy, which had been hostile toward Ukraine under Orbán.
Biography of Hungary’s New Leader
Péter Magyar is a Hungarian politician and lawyer. He is the former husband of Hungarian lawyer and politician Judit Varga. He is the leader of the Tisza political party. Magyar was born in Budapest on March 18, 1981. They have three sons. Their first child, a son named Levente, was born in 2008. The family lived in Brussels for several years before returning to Budapest when Varga was appointed to a position at the Hungarian Ministry of Justice. But in March 2023, the couple announced their divorce.
Péter Magyar is no stranger to politics. His grandfather, Pál Érös, was a judge who hosted a popular television program on legal issues. His cousin, Ferenc Mádl, served as President of Hungary from 2000 to 2005, and his mother worked in the judicial branch of government.
Just a year ago, Magyar was still little known to the general public and worked in government agencies, but by the time of the parliamentary elections in Hungary, he had become the main opponent of Hungary’s pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—the leader of the Fidesz party.
Initially, Magyar founded a civic movement that organized mass anti-government protests, and later led the political party “Tisa.” On March 20, 2024, Magyar testified for several hours at the capital’s prosecutor’s office regarding a high-profile corruption case involving bribes paid by the head of court bailiffs, György Szádly, to former State Secretary of Justice Pál Fölner. Afterward, he announced to the press that he had evidence in the form of audio recordings showing that Antal Rogan or his accomplices had tampered with documents in the case to conceal evidence.
On March 26, 2024, Magyar released the recording to the public. It contained a two-minute conversation between him and his ex-wife, Judit Varga, regarding the Szadly-Fölner corruption case. Varga’s comments refer to the involvement of Cabinet Minister Antal Rogan in the falsification of evidence by removing his name or those of his partners from documents related to the case. Magyar submitted the recording to the prosecutor’s office; the investigation is ongoing.
As a reminder, according to the results of 98.93% of the votes counted, the “Tisza” party received 69.35% of the vote. This gives the opposition 138 seats in parliament, allowing it to form a constitutional majority on its own.
Trump declined to comment on the defeat of Orbán’s ally in the Hungarian elections.
