Hungary's Tisza win signals EU pivot, push to rebuild Poland ties, analyst says

Hungary's opposition Tisza party won parliament elections, a result an analyst said points to a sharp turn toward the EU, an effort to rebuild ties with Poland and deep domestic reforms.

Peter Magyar, leader of the opposition Tisza party, holds a flag following the partial results of the parliamentary election, in Budapest, Hungary, April 12, 2026.

REUTERS/Marton Monus

Robert Rajczyk, a professor at the University of Silesia and senior analyst at the Institute of Central Europe in Lublin, said the scale of Tisza's victory pointed to broad domestic change after 16 years of Fidesz rule.

"We should expect [...] a real restoration of the constitutional system, the political system and social life in general after 16 years of Fidesz rule," Rajczyk told Polish Press Agency (PAP).

He said Magyar's plan to make Warsaw his first foreign visit as prime minister would carry symbolic weight and aim to restore good relations with Poland, while also marking a stronger turn toward cooperation with the EU and away from confrontation.

Rajczyk said the shift could also help unlock support for Ukraine, though he noted Magyar had said during the campaign that he backed Kyiv's EU accession only on "normal, non-accelerated terms".

On Russia, Rajczyk said the new government would likely take a pragmatic approach. Tisza's program envisages gradually ending Hungary's dependence on Russian energy supplies and achieving full independence by 2035, though he said this would not happen quickly, especially in the case of natural gas.

Another challenge for a future Magyar government would be reviving the Visegrad Group, Rajczyk told PAP, adding that talks with the leaders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia could prove difficult.

(jh)

Source: PAP