As the Bundestag reports, the factions CDU/CSU, SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, and The Left on Thursday, April 16, 2026, in a current affairs debate assessed the change of government in Hungary as a positive development for Europe. The speakers emphasized that the election victory of the opposition Tisza Party enables a fresh start for Hungary and the EU.
The Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, Gunther Krichbaum (CDU), said the election outcome was not only a defeat for the previous Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, "but also for Putin, for the MAGA movement, and for all those who want to advocate for illiberal democracy." He called for the release of the EU-blocked funding of around 17 billion euros, which has been held up for years, so that it can take effect in Hungary.
The CDU member of parliament Tilman Kuban joined in and stated that Europe gains a reliable partner in Magyar for sanctions, Ukraine aid, EU reforms, and the EU budget. With the "confrontational policy of Orbán, on the orders of Putin, it is now over," said Kuban. Metin Hakverdi (SPD) saw in the election result an "uprising of democrats against a systematically corrupt, populist, and anti-European government" and demanded that the EU must use the window of opportunity to become "geopolitically capable," among other things through a reform of the unanimity principle in votes.
Agnieszka Brugger (Alliance 90/The Greens) warned against resting on one's laurels now and emphasized that reforms for more capacity to act must be implemented. Orbán had served Putin, Trump, and China and exploited the state, said Brugger. "But the desire of the people in Hungary for freedom was stronger in the end." Janina Böttger (The Left) explained that the EU now has the chance to reform itself, and the victory does not belong solely to Péter Magyar, but also to journalists, activists, and trade unions.
However, a change of course in Hungary's restrictive migration policy is not to be expected even under Magyar. Markus Frohnmaier (AfD) contradicted the majority opinion and criticized Magyar for his announcement to abandon Orbán's blockade against an EU loan for Ukraine. His statements met with loud opposition in the plenary.
