A New Parliament, an Old Democratic Test: Can Hungary Rebuild Trust?

The Day Parliament Began Again

On 9 May 2026, Hungary’s newly elected National Assembly held its inaugural session. After every election, this is a key constitutional moment, but this year it carried special weight: it marked not only a new parliamentary term, but also a change of government.

The new 199-seat National Assembly is led by the Tisza Party of Péter Magyar, which became the new governing force. The former governing alliance, Fidesz–KDNP, led by Viktor Orbán, moved into opposition, while Mi Hazánk, a smaller radical right-wing party, also entered Parliament.

For readers abroad, this is important because Hungary is a parliamentary democracy. Power changes hands through Parliament: once MPs take their oath and the new Assembly is formed, the previous government’s mandate ends and the formation of a new government begins.

The New Political Map

The Tisza Party campaigned on political renewal, anti-corruption measures, more transparent institutions and a more cooperative relationship with the European Union. Its victory reflected the demand for a break with the long Fidesz era and for a more accountable, Western-oriented style of government.

Fidesz–KDNP dominated Hungarian politics for sixteen years. Fidesz built its programme around national sovereignty, strong centralized government, conservative social policy and frequent conflicts with Brussels. KDNP, its Christian democratic partner, provided the alliance’s traditional and religious-conservative profile. In opposition, the bloc is expected to defend its legacy and challenge the new government’s reforms.

Mi Hazánk is a radical nationalist party. It is EU-sceptic, anti-immigration and strongly focused on sovereignty, public order and traditional values. Although small, it can remain a loud voice in debates on identity, security and culture.

The Choreography of Power

Since the democratic transition, the formation of a new Hungarian Parliament has followed a clear procedure. After the election, the President of the Republic convenes the inaugural session. The opening is usually followed by the temporary chairmanship of the oldest MP, the korelnök, until the new Speaker is elected.

The first step is the verification of mandates: Parliament confirms that elected MPs legally received their seats. Then comes the oath-taking, the moment when representatives formally accept their constitutional responsibility.

After that, Parliament elects its Speaker, deputy speakers and notaries. Parliamentary factions are formed, committees are created, and legislative work can begin. The inaugural session is therefore both ceremony and power-building: it gives the new political majority an institutional form.

1990: When Freedom Became an Institution

The model for today’s parliamentary traditions goes back to 2 May 1990, when the first freely elected National Assembly after communism held its inaugural session. After more than four decades of one-party rule, Hungary again had a legislature chosen through free, competitive elections.

The most important parties were the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ), the Independent Smallholders’ Party (FKgP), the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), Fidesz, and the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP).

The MDF, led by József Antall, was a national-conservative force. It wanted a stable parliamentary democracy and Hungary’s return to the West. The SZDSZ was a liberal party rooted in the anti-communist democratic opposition, emphasizing civil rights, rule of law and limits on state power.

The FKgP represented rural voters, small property owners and those affected by communist-era nationalization. The MSZP, successor to the former ruling communist party, tried to redefine itself as a democratic left-wing party. Fidesz was then a young, liberal, anti-communist movement demanding generational change. The KDNP stood for Christian democratic values, family policy and conservative social traditions.

The Road to the First Free Parliament

The 1990 Parliament was the result of a peaceful but profound political transition. By the late 1980s, Hungary’s communist system had been weakened by economic crisis, public dissatisfaction and the decline of Soviet control in Eastern Europe.

Opposition groups grew stronger, reformers appeared inside the ruling party, and symbolic events accelerated change. One of the most powerful moments was the 1989 reburial of Imre Nagy, the prime minister of the 1956 revolution, executed after the Soviet crackdown. His public rehabilitation became a national rejection of dictatorship.

The key institutional step was the National Round Table negotiations in 1989. These talks brought together the ruling party, opposition movements and civic groups. Their aim was to create the legal conditions for free elections, a multi-party system, constitutional reform and democratic institutions.

The Founding Mission of 1990

The first free Parliament had a historic task: to turn political freedom into functioning institutions. It had to build the rule of law, protect civil liberties, separate the branches of power and guide Hungary toward a market economy.

It also had to give the country a new international direction. After decades in the Soviet sphere, Hungary wanted to return to Europe politically, economically and culturally. In this sense, the 1990 Parliament was not just another legislature. It was the founding institution of the new Hungarian democracy.

A New Majority, the Same Old Question

That is why the new Parliament’s inaugural session inevitably recalls 1990. Then, the question was whether Hungary could build democracy after dictatorship. Today, the question is what the new majority will do with its mandate.

A strong parliamentary majority can repair institutions, rebuild trust and restore balance between government, opposition and society. But it can also concentrate power. This is the central democratic test of the new National Assembly.

The ceremony is over. The oaths have been taken. Parliament has begun again. Now the real question is whether this new political era will bring not only a change of government, but a renewal of Hungarian democracy

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