Celebrations seasoned with sighs of relief on the one hand, very heavy silences on the other and in the middle phrases of circumstance that taste a lot like repositioning. In Hungary Orban was soundly defeated by his former disciple Peter Magyar, conservative and pro-European, and the consequences are not limited to internal borders. Far from it. Magyar’s pro-EU soul has important consequences and the reactions to his election are the first and immediate litmus test. Let’s see who said what and who, remaining silent, makes even more noise.
Who laughs and who is silent
Let’s start with the big loser. Orban takes the blow and speaks of a “clear and painful result”. He promises to “continue to serve the country from the ranks of the opposition”.
Remaining silent in recent days, the President of the Commission Ursula von der Leyen, enemy number one of the outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister, returns to appear on X with a few words: “Tonight the heart of Europe beats stronger in Hungary”. And then a second post: “Hungary has chosen Europe. Europe has always chosen Hungary. A country claims its European path. The Union grows stronger”.
Hungary has chosen Europe.
Europe has always chosen Hungary.
A country reclaims its European path.
The Union grows stronger.
Magyarország Európát választotta.
Europe mindig Magyarországot választotta.
Egy ország visszatér az európai útjára.
Az Unió erősebbé válik.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 12, 2026
The elections in Hungary have in fact marked an important point for the future of Europe, which will no longer be paralyzed by the vetoes of Orban, responsible for blocking the latest aid package for Ukraine. It is no coincidence that the liveliest jubilant reactions come from Northern European chancelleries, from the Scandinavian and Baltic governments, the most exposed to the risk of an escalation with the Kremlin. The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, congratulated himself on a “sensational victory” that will allow him to receive even more vital support now that the US is distracted by the war on Iran and negotiations with Moscow are at a standstill.
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk celebrated Peter Magyar’s victory by predicting a return to good relations between the respective countries. “Hungary, Poland, Europe, together again!”.
Paris “salutes a victory of democratic participation and the attachment of the Hungarian people to the values of the European Union”, President Emmanuel Macron wrote in X, after speaking with Magyar. The leader of the Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella, instead paid tribute to Orban, calling him “a great patriot”.
Come and join me with Peter Magyar for the happiness of his victory in Hong Kong!
France salutes a victory of democratic participation, of the attachment of peuple hongrois aux valeurs de l’Union européenne et pour la hongrie en Europe.… pic.twitter.com/VMrgPQwYTa
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 12, 2026
“Today Europe and European values win”, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X, congratulating Hungarian voters.
“I look forward to working with you,” wrote Chancellor Friedrich Merz, adding: “Let us join forces for a strong, secure and above all united Europe.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke of a “historic moment, not only for Hungary but for European democracy”.
Still no reaction, however, from the White House and the Kremlin. Both the US president, Donald Trump, and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, have lost a precious ally.
Giorgia Meloni in the middle
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni chooses a “defense” position. She recognizes the “clear victory” of Peter Magyar with whom she says she is ready to “collaborate”, at the same time she thanks Victor Orban. “My friend” he calls him without hesitation and adds: “He will continue to serve his nation from the opposition.”
The Orban-Meloni closeness is no mystery. Just as the League’s favor for Orban is not. For weeks however, unlike the leader of the League, Meloni had withdrawn from the Hungarian electoral campaign. He had taken a step aside, unlike Trump who did his utmost for Orban through his deputy JD Vance.
Congratulations for the clear electoral victory to Peter Magyar, to whom the Italian government wishes good luck in his work. I thank my friend Viktor Orban for his intense collaboration over these years, and I know that even from the opposition he will continue to serve his nation. Italy and…
— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) April 12, 2026
“Congratulations to Peter Magyar who won the elections in Hungary. In a moment of great uncertainty, once again, the European People’s Party is chosen as a reassuring force and guarantor of stability in Europe”, writes the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Antonio Tajani on social media.
In Hungary the pro-European, moderate and popular centre-right won. @magyarpeterMP he is in fact a member of the European Parliament @EPP who sits in Brussels and Strasbourg on the benches of the same group where the representatives of are @forza_italia. TO @magyarpeterMP best wishes from…
— Antonio Tajani (@Antonio_Tajani) April 13, 2026
“We are in a democracy, we have also seen it in Hungary: people vote, one wins and one loses”, Salvini’s laconic comment speaking to Telelombardia. Then the party’s note: “Whoever votes is always right: Hungarian voters have expressed a clear preference and must be respected. A hug and a big thank you to our friend Viktor Orbán, a true patriot, and good work to those who, after more than twenty years among his closest collaborators, today won the elections. For years Brussels and the left have painted Orbán as a ‘dictator’, an ‘autocrat’ and a ‘threat’ to rights and freedoms: the way in which he accepted the result denies, in fact, their propaganda and gives them, once again, a lesson in democracy”.
