People in Budapest walk past posters for Pter Magyar the morning after his election victory. Photograph: Zsuzsa Darab/The Guardian
Excitement and disbelief mix on the streets of Budapest after record turnout drives oppositions landslide victory
In a small plaza facing Budapests Nyugati train station, Gabor, 40, confessed that he was very, very hungover.
I partied all night, he said, laughing. It was crazy, I thought Fidesz was going to win. Now Im really hopeful.
It was a hint of the mix of excitement, disbelief and hope that has gripped much of Hungary. After 16 years of Viktor Orbns efforts to transform the country into a petri dish for illiberalism, Hungarians overwhelmingly cast their ballots to oust Orbn and his Fidesz party from power in Sundays election.
Instead, the record turnout translated into a landslide victory for the opposition Tisza party in a result that sent thousands of jubilant supporters pouring into the streets of Budapest on Sunday night.
Led by Pter Magyar, the centre-right party won 138 of the parliaments 199 seats, giving it the power to amend the constitution and potentially dismantle many of the key pillars that had sustained Orbns illiberal democracy.
Im so happy. I cant quite believe that it happened, said Eva, 37. This morning I was bracing for something to happen C like they would say they found some massive number of ballots that would change the results. Now Im starting to believe that it could be real.
The election result was due, in part, to the mobilisation of young people who voted against Orbns government. Many of them had come of age as the country plunged in press freedom rankings , faced accusations of no longer being a full democracy and became the most corrupt country in the EU .
As the results rolled in on Sunday, an impromptu party sprang up on the banks of the Danube, spilling across the city as strangers hugged and high-fived each other in metro stations and people chanted We did it! and Its over against a backdrop of honking vehicles.
Some shimmied up lampposts to tear down the government posters C this time attacking Magyar and the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy C that have long been a feature of Orbns government.
Amid the excitement questions continued to swirl about what might lie ahead for the country, including among those who had voted for Tisza. I feel like we still dont know Pter Magyar so well , said Franciska Dombi, 27, as she walked her dog Charlie. The way he speaks in his speeches, all the rhetorical phrases he uses, they sound very much like the way that Viktor Orbn used to speak. And of course, hes a conservative politician, so Im not sure how hell be.
It was a nod to Magyars singular history as a former member of Fidesz. He began speaking out against the party in early 2024, alleging that it was rife with corruption and cronyism, before launching his own party soon after.
As his party rode a wave of discontent over corruption and crumbling public services to the top of the polls, Magyar crisscrossed the country, holding as many as six rallies a day during the campaign as he pledged to repair Hungarys strained relationship with the EU, crack down on corruption and rebuild the countrys crumbling public services.
His plans, however, were always discussed in the broadest of strokes, in what was seen as a strategy to avoid providing fodder for the estimated 80% of Hungarys media that is controlled by Fidesz loyalists.
On Monday, Magyar said his party had received an unprecedented supermajority that would allow it to carry out its reforms. The Hungarian people didnt vote for a simple change of government, but for a complete change in regime, he said.
The campaign had played out on the global and domestic stages, as the White House scrambled to endorse Orbn days before the vote. The campaign had also been marked by allegations of Russian interference , compounding a playing field that global election observers in 2022 noted was marred by the absence of a level playing field.
Magyar on Monday said he hoped to take power as early as 5 May.
On the streets of Budapest on Monday, many wondered what would now become of Orbn, 62. For decades he had been a mainstay of Hungarian politics, first as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand and then as a Russia-friendly nationalist at the vanguard of the far right.
I feel like this was such a big hit, said Mrton Bcs, 28, citing the overwhelming result. It was a huge blow; politically I dont believe he can survive it in the long run.
Others said it was unlikely that Orbn, the EUs longest-serving leader, would go quietly. Hell try to project strength as the opposition, said Mariann, 37.
Sitting next to her, Eva noted that Orbn had reacted appropriately to the results by conceding the election less than three hours after polls closed on Sunday. I cant imagine him stepping back, she said. But I would be happy to see him disappear; I can imagine him fishing or gardening at home, she added with a laugh.
Not everyone, however, was thrilled with Sundays result. I voted for Fidesz and Im rather sad to see what happened, said Katalin, 72, expressing frustration that so little was known about Magyar and what he would do in power. Maybe I would trust Tisza politicians more if I knew more about them.
The sentiment was echoed by Mrton 05veges, 38, who said he had voted for Fidesz. I was really surprised; I didnt expect this result, he said.
He said he was holding out hope that Orbn would find a way to come back after four years in opposition. But we will have to see how hes going to build something from this point.
Given the extent of the changes that Orbn had wrought since 2010, few expected Magyar to be able to bring about change swiftly. It will probably take a couple of years, said Dombi. During Fideszs time in power the party stacked the Hungarian state, media and judiciary with loyalists, sparking questions as to how they would respond to a Tisza-led government.
But, for now, Dombi said she was content to celebrate the moment. Im very happy and hopeful, she said, listing healthcare, education and tackling corruption as areas that were in desperate need of change.
We could actually have a country that is really good to live in, she said. This is history being made.
布达佩斯街头交织着兴奋与难以置信的情绪——创纪录的投票率助推反对党以压倒性优势获胜
在布达佩斯西火车站对面的一个小广场上，40岁的加博尔坦言自己宿醉得厉害。
"我狂欢了一整夜，"他笑着说道，"太疯狂了，我原以为青民盟会赢。现在我真的充满希望。"
这隐约透露出匈牙利民众普遍怀有的兴奋、怀疑与希望交织的复杂情绪。在欧尔班·维克托执政16年、试图将国家打造成‘非自由主义的试验田’之后，匈牙利民众在周日的选举中以压倒性票数将欧尔班及其青民盟赶下台。
然而，创纪录的投票率却意外为反对党蒂萨党带来压倒性胜利。这一结果使得成千上万欢欣鼓舞的支持者于周日夜晚涌上布达佩斯街头。
由彼得·马杰尔领导的中间偏右政党赢得了议会199个席位中的138席，由此获得了修改宪法的权力，并可能瓦解维持欧尔班‘非自由民主’体制的诸多关键支柱。
37岁的伊娃说道：“我太高兴了，几乎不敢相信这是真的。今早我还担心会有变故——比如突然宣布发现大量足以改变结果的选票。现在我开始相信这一切可能是真的了。”
此次选举结果部分归因于年轻选民的动员，他们投票反对欧尔班政府。这些年轻人成年之际，正值该国新闻自由排名急剧下滑，被指责不再是一个完整的民主国家，并成为欧盟内腐败最严重的国家。
周日选举结果陆续揭晓时，多瑙河畔突然涌现出自发的庆祝活动，并迅速蔓延至整座城市。地铁站里素不相识的人们相互拥抱击掌，车辆鸣笛声中，人群高喊着“我们成功了！”和“结束了！”
一些人爬上灯柱，撕下政府海报——这次针对的是马扎尔（Magyar）和乌克兰总统弗拉基米尔·泽连斯基（Volodymyr Zelenskyy）——这些海报长期以来一直是欧尔班（Orbán）政府的标志性宣传手段。
在兴奋之余，关于国家未来走向的疑问仍在持续发酵，甚至包括那些曾投票给蒂萨的人。27岁的弗朗西斯卡·东比（Franciska Dombi）遛狗查理时表示："我觉得我们对彼得·马扎尔（Péter Magyar）还不够了解。他在演讲中的措辞和修辞手法，听起来与欧尔班·维克托（Viktor Orbán）过去的风格非常相似。当然，作为保守派政客，我不确定他最终会如何表现。"
这体现了马贾尔作为青民盟前成员的独特历史。2024年初，他开始公开批评该党，指控其腐败和任人唯亲现象猖獗，随后不久便创立了自己的政党。
随着其政党凭借民众对腐败和公共服务崩溃的不满情绪在民调中领先，马贾尔（Magyar）在全国各地奔走，竞选期间每天举行多达六场集会。他承诺修复匈牙利与欧盟的紧张关系，打击腐败，并重建该国摇摇欲坠的公共服务体系。
然而，他的计划总是以最笼统的方式被讨论，这被视为一种策略，旨在避免为匈牙利约80%由青民盟（Fidesz）支持者控制的媒体提供攻击素材。
周一，马扎尔表示其政党获得了前所未有的绝对多数席位，这将使其能够推行改革。他称：“匈牙利人民投票并非仅仅为了简单的政府更迭，而是为了彻底的制度变革。”
这场竞选活动在全球和国内舞台上展开，白宫在投票前仓促表态支持欧尔班·维克托。竞选期间还充斥着俄罗斯干预的指控，加剧了选举环境的不公——2022年国际选举观察员曾指出该环境'因缺乏公平竞争而受损'。
马贾尔周一表示，他希望最早能在5月5日掌权。
周一在布达佩斯的街头，许多人都在想，现年62岁的欧尔班将何去何从。数十年来，他一直是匈牙利政坛的中流砥柱，最初以自由派、反苏激进分子的形象出现，后来成为极右翼阵营中亲俄的民族主义先锋。
28岁的莫尔顿·贝克什援引压倒性的结果表示：“我感觉这是一次重大打击。这是沉重一击；从政治角度来看，我认为他无法长期承受这样的后果。”
其他人表示，作为欧盟在位时间最长的领导人，欧尔班不太可能默默退出。37岁的玛丽安说：“他会试图以反对派的姿态展现力量。”
坐在她身旁的伊娃（Eva）指出，欧尔班（Orbán）对选举结果做出了恰当反应——周日的投票结束不到三小时，他便承认败选。"我无法想象他会退居幕后，"她说，随即笑着补充道："但若能看他淡出政坛，我会很开心。比如想象他在家钓鱼或打理花园的样子。"
然而，并非所有人都对周日的选举结果感到欣喜。72岁的卡塔琳表示："我投票给了青民盟，但对目前的结果感到相当失望。"她因对马扎尔及其执政计划知之甚少而沮丧，并补充说："如果我对蒂萨政客们有更多了解，或许会更信任他们。"
38岁的马尔顿·厄韦格什也表达了同样的情绪，他表示自己投票给了青民盟。"我真的很惊讶；没想到会是这个结果，"他说。
他表示仍希望欧尔班在四年反对派生涯后能找到重返政坛的途径，并称：“但我们必须观察他将如何从此刻开始重建政治资本。”
鉴于欧尔班自2010年以来推动的变革规模之大，很少有人预计马扎尔能迅速带来改变。"这可能还需要几年时间，"东比说道。青民盟执政期间，该党将亲信安插进匈牙利政府、媒体和司法系统，这引发了人们对其将如何应对蒂萨领导的政府的疑问。
不过目前，东比（Dombi）表示她很满足于庆祝这一刻。"我非常开心且充满希望，"她说道，并列举了医疗、教育和反腐败等亟需改革的领域。
“我们确实可以建设一个宜居的国度，”她说道，“这正在创造历史。”
原创文章，作者：马超，如若转载，请注明出处：http://m.gaochengzhenxuan.com/resou/18537.html
