Government greets Hungary’s new leader after Milei ally Orbán gets boot

Argentina’s top diplomat has congratulated Hungary’s new leader Péter Magyar on his victory in Sunday’s election, which saw Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ousted from power.

Orbán, a close ally of President Javier Milei, was ousted in Sunday's ballot after 16 years in power. 

He acknowledged defeat on Sunday to his opponent Magyar, whose Tisza party secured 53.07 percent of the vote, according to an official count with 98.94 percent of ballots tallied.

Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno reacted swiftly to the outcome, though he made little effort to hide the Milei administration’s preference for the incumbent.

“Congratulations to Péter Magyar for his victory in the Hungarian elections. From the Argentine Government, we reaffirm our commitment to continue strengthening the significant bilateral relationship that President @jmilei has built and which is reflected in his recent and historic visit to Budapest,” wrote Quirno in a post on social media on Sunday.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry “particularly values the understanding reached with the Government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and thanks them for their hospitality and collaboration. Likewise, it wishes him every success in his role as Leader of the Opposition,” he continued.

“We will continue to deepen our ties and promote a common agenda in priority areas for the growth of both countries,” Quirno concluded.

Milei has not publicly commented on the outcome of the elections in Hungary.

Orbán's defeat in Hungary is a blow to global nationalists. For years populist leaders had drawn inspiration from the outspoken politician, with many world leaders – not least Milei – travelling to the nation to express their admiration.

A thorn in the side of the European Union establishment, Orbán cultivated close ties with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN) party.

In power since 2010, Orbán has transformed the central European country of 9.5 million people into a model of "illiberal democracy," making wide-ranging reforms that restricted civil rights and the independence of the judiciary, media and academia.

Orban, 62, frequently clashed with Brussels, which has frozen billions of euros in funds over rule-of-law concerns.

Orban, who repeatedly blocked EU moves to help Ukraine fight Russia's invasion, made Ukraine a central campaign issue, portraying Kyiv as "hostile" to Hungary.

But Hungarians fed up with corruption have now handed the conservative Tisza party of former government insider Magyar a decisive victory, with a two-thirds majority in parliament. The vote saw a record turnout.

Magyar, 45, said Sunday he would do "everything in our power" to ensure the "beginning of a new era" in Hungary. The country "didn't vote for a mere change of government, but for a complete regime change," he declared in a speech.

He began by promising on Monday to limit the prime minister's mandate to two terms, "a total of eight years" or half the time that Orbán had spent at the helm.

– TIMES/AFP