SD Welcomes EU Party's Victory in Hungary

The Sweden Democrats’ party leader Jimmie Åkesson welcomes the EU-friendly Péter Magyar’s election victory in Hungary. According to the SD leader, the election result, which sees Viktor Orbán leaving power, brings new hope for strengthened European unity. Several other leading representatives of the Sweden Democrats express the same line. This is also echoed by the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who says she welcomes and celebrates the election result.

Péter Magyar will become Hungary’s next prime minister following Sunday’s parliamentary election, where his EU-friendly party Tisza emerged victorious. This is no minor victory—the party has secured a so-called supermajority in parliament, allowing them to dismantle much of what outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his national-conservative party Fidesz have built over the past 16 years.

In Sweden, Péter Magyar’s party is often described by conservative voices as being even more hardline than Viktor Orbán on certain migration issues. It is also noted that Magyar has a background in Fidesz and supposedly aligns himself accordingly. However, more recently, Magyar has established contacts with several leading liberal representatives in Brussels and various EU member states.

He has also promised his voters to work towards releasing the EU funds that were withheld during Orbán’s time in power, after repeated conflicts between Hungary and Brussels. Critics, however, argue that such developments do not occur without political strings attached and that closer ties to EU institutions could ultimately mean greater influence for Brussels’ political agenda in Hungary.

Through Tisza, Magyar has assembled a broad political base in Hungary—from conservatives and liberals to left-wing and environmentally focused supporters within the party. They seem united in a strong opposition to Orbán and in seeking closer ties with the EU.

At the same time, parts of the EU-friendly political and media establishment have largely expressed support for what some consider to be the conservative and immigration-critical Péter Magyar. Support has come from both top EU leaders, leaders of member states and national politicians, as well as actors in the media landscape.

Liberal EU Top Official “Celebrates” Victory

Péter Magyar’s election win has, among others, been welcomed by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who described developments in positive terms.

Von der Leyen, who is not directly elected but appointed as President of the EU Commission, has said that she celebrates the election outcome in the member state and thus marks a clear stance on what opinions are acceptable within the union.

– This is a victory for fundamental freedoms.

– It was an exceptional election result yesterday.

– Hungary is on its way back to the European path.

But that is not where von der Leyen’s statement on Monday ends. She now wants to seize this moment and reform the EU so that no member state can block decisions as Orbán has done. But today the EU leader is “celebrating” the election.

– But I also think we should learn lessons within the EU. For example, I believe that a transition to qualified majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systematic blockages, as we have seen earlier. We should use the current momentum to really move forward. But of course, today is a day to celebrate.

Donald Tusk, Poland’s liberal and EU-friendly prime minister with a long background in EU politics, who since taking office has adopted a more confrontational approach toward conservative forces in Poland, is another leader who expressed great enthusiasm upon congratulating and said he was likely happier than Péter Magyar himself.

Welcome back to Europe! ???????????????? pic.twitter.com/OycXLz1p6u

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) April 13, 2026

Several representatives from the center-left side in Sweden have emphasized that they see Magyar as a defender of “liberal democracy.”

Even Magdalena Andersson (S), Morgan Johansson (S), and even Daniel Helldén, spokesperson for the Green Party, have highlighted this image of him in statements.

SD Joins the Chorus

Senior representatives of the Sweden Democrats have joined in and also welcomed the victory for the EU-friendly candidate. At the same time, they point out what they argue is a contradiction in how Magyar is described by the center-left.

SD leader Jimmie Åkesson also emphasizes, while welcoming the victory, that Péter Magyar in several respects is close to parties and positions that are often criticized in other contexts domestically, and questions the support from the left-liberal side.

Thus, the question of where Péter Magyar and his party should be positioned politically remains, and interpretations differ sharply between political camps regarding who Hungary’s new prime minister really is. Either the more hardline conservative and immigration-critical politician with a Fidesz background, who according to critics targeted former Orbán voters during the campaign, or the EU-friendly liberal that parts of the left-liberal EU establishment now describe him as.

“I also welcome the change in power,” the SD leader affirms, further stressing that the election result brings hope.

SD top figure Richard Jomshof, in response to party colleague and USA expert Ronie Berggren, who urged Hungarians to vote for Viktor Orbán, has pointed out that although the Hungarian prime minister “has landed right on specific issues”, his stance on Ukraine makes him a security risk.

On Sunday Jomshof further clarified that he hopes for a victory for Péter Magyar.

Karlsson: “Spread Pure Lies” about Orbán

The Sweden Democrats’ veteran Mattias Karlsson takes a similar line and believes it is positive if Hungary gets a government that understands the value of “European unity.”

READ ALSO: Orbán Admits Defeat

At the same time, Karlsson observes an interesting point regarding the media establishment and the left’s hate campaigns over the years, painting Orbán as a dictator, but who nevertheless seems to have allowed himself to be challenged in a democratic election and peacefully handed over power, while also having congratulated his opponent.

Emil Aronsson, the party’s foreign policy spokesperson, also welcomes the election result, although in somewhat more subdued terms. “Winds of change are blowing through Hungary,” he notes.