\n<\/p>\n
EU leaders heaped praise on P\u00e9ter Magyar after his decisive election victory<\/a> in Hungary against the long-serving prime minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n, who many saw as a direct threat to Europe\u2019s peace and prosperity.<\/p>\n The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orb\u00e1n across the EU\u2019s 27 member states and its institutions.<\/p>\n \u201cToday Europe wins and European values win,\u201d said the Spanish prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez<\/a>, in a post on X on Sunday night. The Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, wrote on social media: \u201cHungary Poland Europe Back together! Glorious victory, dear friends! Ruszkik haza!\u201d. Ruszkik haza<\/em> translates into English as \u201cRussians, go home\u201d.<\/p>\n Orb\u00e1n\u2019s 16-year grip on power has tested the EU system of governance meant to ensure peace through economic and political integration after the devastation of the first and second world wars. Claiming he sought to advance the national interests of Hungarians over strategy forged in Brussels, Orb\u00e1n time and again vetoed collective action such as support for Ukraine after Russia\u2019s all-out invasion.<\/p>\n Recently, the far-right leader\u2019s government outraged EU leaders and officials when it admitted to providing a backchannel to Russia during summits.<\/p>\n In a recent interview, Magyar told the Associated Press that if elected, he would repair Hungary\u2019s relationship with the EU. However, he has carefully avoided taking firm positions on a number of divisive issues during the election campaign \u2013 including Orb\u00e1n\u2019s anti-LGBTQ+ policies<\/a> and whether Hungary should extend more support to Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cAll Hungarians know that this is a shared victory. Our homeland made up its mind. It wants to live again. It wants to be a European country,\u201d Magyar said in his victory speech from the banks of the Danube in Budapest, Hungary\u2019s capital.<\/p>\n There was no reaction from the White House on Sunday night and no comment from the US vice-president, JD Vance,<\/strong> who had campaigned for Orb\u00e1n in Budapest earlier in the week<\/a>, openly admitting he was in Hungary on an \u201cunprecedented\u201d trip to help him win the election.<\/p>\n Magyar said he had received calls on Sunday night from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, Nato\u2019s secretary-general, Mark Rutte, the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the European Commission\u2019s president, Ursula von der Leyen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Congratulations also flowed in online from the British prime minister, Keir Starmer<\/a>, the Irish prime minister, Miche\u00e1l Martin, the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, and the European parliament\u2019s speaker, Roberta Metsola. The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, the Romanian president, Nicu\u0219or Dan, and the European Council president, Ant\u00f3nio Costa, also posted well-wishes, as did Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.<\/p>\n Starmer said: \u201cThis is an historic moment, not only for Hungary, but for European democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n