Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar alleged that his predecessor’s associates are fleeing the country with billions of dollars in assets.
Viktor Orbán was defeated in a landslide this month. During his tenure, Hungary slid down rankings on democracy and corruption indices; reports suggest that vast amounts in state funds ended up in Orbán allies’ hands. Orbán — who by leaving office peacefully drew favorable comparisons with US President Donald Trump’s intransigence at the end of his first term — has dismissed such charges.
But the dispute points to the scale of Magyar’s challenge in fulfilling a promise to reverse an illiberal and anti-EU drive under Orbán: “This is far easier said than done,” a European Council on Foreign Relations expert warned.