Péter Magyar has gone from political outsider to Hungary’s most powerful politician almost overnight.

The 44-year-old lawyer and former insider in former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling party swept to victory in Hungary’s 2026 election, ending Orbán’s 16-year rule and stunning Europe.

«Thank you to every Hungarian at home and around the world!» he wrote on X. «It is an immense honor that you have empowered us to form a government with the most votes ever received, and to work for the next four years for a free, European, functioning, and humane Hungary.»

Here are the key things to know about the man now set to lead Hungary.

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He grew up admiring Viktor Orbán

Magyar was born in 1981 in Budapest, Hungary, into a family of lawyers. He was just nine years old when communism collapsed in Hungary and the country held its first democratic elections.

As a child, he idolized Orbán, who at the time was a young anti-Communist activist demanding that Soviet troops leave Hungary. Magyar has said he kept a photo of Orbán on his bedroom wall, Reuters reported.

That early admiration makes his rise all the more remarkable: the boy who once saw Orbán as a hero ultimately became the politician who ended his rule.

He comes from the same political world 

Before becoming Orbán’s biggest challenger, Magyar was part of the same Hungarian political establishment.

He spent years inside Orbán’s conservative Fidesz movement and worked in positions connected to the Hungarian state. Because of that background, analysts say Magyar understands the system from the inside.

«He’s an insider,» said Helena Ivanov, an associate research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society (HJS), a London-based foreign policy think tank. «He knows and understands the inside out of the Hungarian political system.»

That insider status, she added, was «exceptionally important» to his success.

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Before becoming Orbán’s biggest challenger, Magyar was part of the same Hungarian political establishment. (Denes Erdos/AP)

He studied law and worked in government

Like many members of Hungary’s political elite, Magyar trained as a lawyer.

After studying law, he entered public service. When his then-wife took a position in Brussels, Magyar joined Hungary’s diplomatic corps and worked on European Union legislation.

After returning to Hungary, he held senior positions at a state-owned bank and later ran Hungary’s student loan agency.

His background gave him experience in both Brussels and the Hungarian bureaucracy, helping him position himself as a bridge between Hungary and the European Union.

His marriage made him part of Orbán’s inner circle

Magyar married Judit Varga in 2006. Varga later became one of Orbán’s most prominent ministers and served as Hungary’s justice minister.

For years, that marriage placed Magyar close to the center of power in Hungary. 

The couple had three sons, but their marriage eventually broke down. They divorced in 2023, shortly before Magyar launched his political rebellion.

The 44-year-old lawyer and former insider in former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling party swept to victory in Hungary’s 2026 election, ending the 16-year rule of Orbán, pictured here, and stunning Europe.  (Denes Erdos/The Associated Press )

He broke with Orbán after a major scandal

Magyar’s political transformation began after a scandal that rocked Hungary in 2024.

Varga resigned after public outrage over a pardon linked to a child sexual abuse case. The scandal opened a rare crack in Orbán’s government.

Magyar publicly broke with Fidesz, accusing the government of corruption and propaganda.

For Ivanov, that moment was decisive.

«The key breakdown was the fact that Orbán’s government participated in a cover-up … and that ultimately led him to start his own political campaign,» she said.

Until 2024, most Hungarians had barely heard of Magyar. Then he gave a high-profile interview and launched a new political movement. (Marton Monus/Reuters)

He became an instant political star 

Until 2024, most Hungarians had barely heard of Magyar. 

Then he gave a high-profile interview and launched a new political movement. Within months, he transformed himself into the face of Hungary’s opposition.

His Tisza party won 30% in the 2024 European elections, before defeating Fidesz nationally less than two years later.

Ivanov said his rapid rise came down to strategy.

«He was able to capture the hearts and minds of the Hungarian people by focusing … on the internal issues that were their key grievances,» she said.

He is more pro-European than Orbán, but still conservative

Magyar is not a traditional liberal politician.

Like Orbán, he opposes illegal immigration, supports Hungary’s border fence and rejects European Union migrant quotas.

«When it comes to immigration, I’m not really that sure that we’re going to see much of a change,» Ivanov told Fox News Digital. «Magyar so far has made it clear that the fence originally built by Orbán will stay in place. He has said that he is not going to support the EU migration pact.»

«So that’s one thing where we may possibly see some continuity, or at least some overlap, between Magyar and Orbán,» she added. «But … bringing the country back to a stable democracy is one of the key priorities that Magyar has.»

But unlike Orbán, he has pledged to rebuild ties with the European Union and unlock frozen EU funds.

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Magyar describes himself as religious and often emphasizes family life. (Leonhard Foeger/Reuters)

Ivanov said the shift could be significant, especially after years of deteriorating relations with Brussels.

«He has promised to rebuild the relationship between the European Union and Hungary,» she said.

Still, she cautioned that tensions may remain, particularly over Russia and Ukraine policy.

Religion and family are central to his image

Magyar describes himself as religious and often emphasizes family life.

He has said he enjoys cooking and playing soccer with his sons.

That image has helped him appeal to conservative voters who were disillusioned with Orbán but not ready to support a left-wing alternative.

He won by campaigning differently

Magyar built his victory through a grassroots campaign. He focused on corruption, cost of living and frustration after 16 years under one leader.

Because Orbán’s allies controlled much of Hungary’s media, he relied heavily on social media, rural outreach and direct voter engagement.

Ivanov said that approach was not just strategic, but necessary.

«The control that Orbán had over the media meant Magyar had to directly engage with the people,» she said.

Ivanov noted that Magyar did not appear on state television for 18 months. His first appearance came only after his victory, during what she described as «a very heated conversation» in which he accused Hungarian state media of carrying out «North Korean-style propaganda» under Orbán.

Péter Magyar, leader of the TISZA party, arrives with a national flag for a rally in Tarnok, Hungary, Oct. 20, 2025. Magyar was elected prime minister in a landslide victory on April 12, 2026. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty images)

Now, after years as an insider and barely two years as an opposition figure, Magyar is preparing to take power.

Magyar has already signaled that he intends to move quickly against officials tied to the old system. 

In a post on X on Wednesday, he said he had arrived at the presidential palace to meet Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok.

«Tamás Sulyok is unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation,» Magyar wrote. «He is unfit to serve as the guardian of legality. He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or a role model.»

«Following the formation of the new government, Tamás Sulyok must leave office immediately.»

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As a child, Magyar idolized Orbán, who at the time was a young anti-Communist activist demanding that Soviet troops leave Hungary. (Denes Erdos/The Associated Press )

Ivanov called the result «a huge victory for democracy,» but said that reversing years of institutional control «is not going to be an easy process … likely a years-long process.»

Reuters contributed to this report.

A Department of Homeland Security official was killed in Georgia by a naturalized U.S. citizen with a prior criminal record, a case that is raising new questions about the federal government’s vetting process after the agency recently acknowledged significant screening gaps.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed Wednesday that Lauren Bullis, 40, was «brutally shot and stabbed to death,» identifying the suspect as 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel, who was naturalized in 2022 and has a record that includes convictions for sexual battery, assault, and battery against a police officer.

The killing comes shortly after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services disclosed «significant national security and public safety risks» in U.S. vetting processes, describing past screening processes as «wholly inadequate» under former President Joe Biden.

Mullin said DHS is «devastated» by Bullis’ killing. The agency also said she «was a bright spot for so many of the DHS community.»

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Bullis was walking her dog when she was attacked, according to DHS. She served in multiple roles at DHS’ Office of the Inspector General, including as an auditor and a team leader in the Office of Innovation.

The agency said Abel was also arrested in connection with the murder of an unidentified woman he reportedly shot outside a Checkers, as well as a homeless man he shot multiple times outside a Kroger in Brookhaven, Georgia.

Andrew Arthur, a former immigration judge and policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, said, «This is just the latest impact of the Biden administration’s immigration policies.»

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Arthur, who served under the Bush and Obama administrations, said the case raises concerns about whether existing safeguards were properly applied during the naturalization process.

«There were plainly steps that were missed when this person was naturalized,» he said, adding that recent agency findings suggest broader vulnerabilities in the system.

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Lauren Bullis was stabbed and shot during an attack in DeKalb County, Georgia on Monday morning at approximately 6:50 a.m. (Facebook/Lauren Bullis)

It is not yet clear from publicly available information how Abel’s prior convictions factored into his naturalization review or whether they should have disqualified him under existing standards.

USCIS announced the creation of a new vetting center in December that DHS said would «enhance screening and vetting of immigration applications, with a focus on identifying terrorists, criminal aliens, and other threats to public safety.» The agency said the center would leverage advanced technologies and work closely with law enforcement and intelligence partners to uphold the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.

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Lauren Bullis, 40, was one of the 2 victims in an alleged spree of attacks in DeKalb County, Georgia on Monday, April 13. (Facebook/Lauren Bullis)

The month before, USCIS also restored the practice of conducting neighborhood investigations of potential new citizens to verify aliens’ eligibility for naturalization by reviewing their residency, moral character, loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, and commitment to the nation’s well-being.

Arthur lauded this decision, saying, «That’s never been a priority, because of the numbers that we talk about, about 800,000 people naturalize every year.»

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«This is a huge number of people, and we have assumed in the past that a simple fingerprint check and NCIC run will identify individuals who pose a danger to the community before they can be naturalized. We now know that that’s not true.»

He cautioned that though «the numbers are big and we want to encourage people who are green card holders to become citizens,» the U.S. must continue to «invest resources in order to ensure that we don’t confer citizenship on anybody who poses a danger to the United States going forward.»

Fox News Digital reached out to a spokesperson for Biden for comment.

Un hombre de 48 años, Pawel Bukowski, se quitó la vida en el Reino Unido en abril del año pasado tras atravesar una profunda crisis emocional luego de un tratamiento dental fallido en Turquía que lo dejó sin dientes. Así lo determinó una investigación judicial en Norfolk, donde vivía desde hacía dos décadas.

Bukowski, padre de tres hijos y nacido en Polonia, sufría desde hacía años una condición dental crónica. En busca de una solución, viajó a una clínica de bajo costo en Turquía, donde pagó para que le extrajeran todos los dientes y le colocaran implantes.

Sin embargo, el procedimiento no salió como esperaba: tras la extracción, la clínica le informó que no podían continuar con el tratamiento y lo enviaron de regreso a su casa sin dientes, indicándole que debía esperar seis meses para recibir los implantes.

Un golpe devastador para su salud mental

Según contó su esposa, Daria Bukowska, ante el tribunal, la situación fue “emocionalmente devastadora” para Pawel.

“Después de sacarle todos los dientes, la clínica le dijo que no podían seguir. Lo mandaron a casa sin dientes y le dijeron que volviera en seis meses. Eso lo destruyó emocionalmente”, contó.

La pérdida de sus dientes afectó gravemente la autoestima de Bukowski y lo sumió en una profunda depresión. Su familia intentó acompañarlo, pero él se fue aislando cada vez más.

“Perdió toda esperanza de que las cosas pudieran mejorar. A pesar de todos nuestros esfuerzos, no pudimos salvarlo”, lamentó su esposa.

El hombre comenzó a tener dificultades para alimentarse y cayó en el alcoholismo. El 24 de abril de 2025, los servicios de emergencia lo trasladaron al Hospital Norfolk and Norwich tras un episodio crítico. Allí, el equipo de salud mental determinó que presentaba “ideación suicida fuerte y sensación de desesperanza”, pero decidieron no internarlo por considerar que tenía “factores protectores suficientes” y “algún plan a futuro”.

Denuncian fallas en la atención y falta de apoyo

La familia de Bukowski denunció que el sistema de salud falló en los momentos clave. “No le dieron nada para ayudarlo con los síntomas de abstinencia del alcohol. No le dieron la medicación que necesitaba para pasar esos días. Los trabajadores no se presentaron, no nos llamaron y finalmente llegaron tarde”, reclamó Daria ante la justicia.

El 28 de abril, un psiquiatra debía visitarlo en su casa, pero llegó tres horas más tarde de lo previsto por falta de personal. Cuando finalmente arribó, encontró a Pawel sin vida en su hogar de Watton, Norfolk.

“Como familia, no recibimos ningún apoyo para identificar señales de suicidio, ni para manejar su abstinencia, ni para ayudarlo. Confiamos en la experiencia de los profesionales para que nos ayudaran a salir adelante. Pawel puede ser solo un caso más para algunos, pero para nosotros era nuestro mundo. Lo amábamos profundamente y ahora vivimos nuestra peor pesadilla”, expresó su esposa, visiblemente conmovida.

El hospital reconoce errores y promete cambios

Tras la muerte de Bukowski, la Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust realizó una investigación interna. La forense Ms Thompson reconoció que hubo “varias lecciones aprendidas” y admitió que “existieron factores que impactaron en la atención brindada a Pawel”. Señaló que no haberlo internado cuando llegó al hospital con pensamientos suicidas “pudo haber sido una oportunidad perdida para brindarle una intervención más intensiva”.

El jefe de enfermería del hospital, Anthony Deery, ofreció sus condolencias a la familia y pidió disculpas por el sufrimiento causado. “Revisamos cuidadosamente la atención que Pawel recibió antes de su triste fallecimiento”, aseguró.

Un hombre querido y una familia devastada

En su homenaje, Daria describió a Pawel como “un hombre bueno, un esposo amoroso y un padre devoto”. “Era hábil, inteligente, curioso y apasionado por la pesca. Lo extrañamos terriblemente y lamento profundamente no haber podido ayudarlo a tiempo. Compartimos un amor profundo”, concluyó.

La familia espera que el caso de Pawel sirva para que otras personas reciban la ayuda que necesitan y que ninguna familia tenga que atravesar una tragedia similar.