When Ursula von der Leyen, Alex Soros, Emmanuel Macron, and Friedrich Merz are taking a victory lap, the right should probably be fearful. All of these figures have expressed joy at the removal of Viktor Orbán and heralded the victory of Péter Magyar. However, there already seems to be genuine believers who are trying to portray Péter Magyar as a future champion of the right and a foe of mass immigration. Is this really possible?
Journalists, commentators, and politicians are noting that Magyar comes from within Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party and that he campaigned on an even stricter immigration policy than Fidesz. For example, he promised to expel guest workers invited under Orbán’s administration.
Eric Zemmour, the right-wing firebrand from France, has long been a backer of Orbán, praising his rule and criticizing an EU that has been dedicated to removing him. Now, he is claiming that Magyar’s victory is not a repudiation of Orbán’s ideology.
“Orban’s defeat is neither an ideological defeat nor a political defeat. His victorious rival comes from the same party. He is neither left-wing nor centrist. All those in France who try to claim him for themselves only cover themselves in ridicule.
During his campaign, he never challenged Orbán’s refusal to accept any immigration. He announced that he would reject, just like him, the European pacts that seek to impose migrants on Hungarian soil.
The future will tell us whether he keeps his campaign promises and whether he continues to be the defender of his country’s sovereignty.
Peter Magyar won by opposing the ruling power on cronyism and corruption. But he confirms all of Orbán’s positions on the defense of European civilization. Orbán has certainly saved his country from migrant invasion and the woke delusions of the European Commission.
La défaite d’Orban n’est ni une défaite idéologique, ni une défaite politique.
Son rival victorieux vient du même parti. Il n’est ni de gauche ni centriste. Tous ceux qui en France essaient de le récupérer se couvrent de ridicule.
Au cours de sa campagne, il n’a jamais…
— Eric Zemmour (@ZemmourEric) April 13, 2026While this sentiment is being echoed by some on the right, most anti-immigration activists are skeptical. On the whole, they are lamenting the loss of Orbán and noting the EU’s tactics used against him. Austrian activist, Marin Sellner, for example, wrote:
“The EU is acting toward non-compliant states much like the US treats adversaries:
1. Sanctions and isolation to create instability and poverty.
2. Propaganda and funding of the opposition; constant activity by regime-change actors.
3. Accusations of corruption (while corruption in compliant states is ignored).
4. When the isolated nation desperately turns to outside partners: accusations of “treason” and ties to “evil forces.”
This “treatment” wears the non-compliant nation down until it can be toppled in a rapid final push. This happened in Hungary today.”
Sellner goes on to note that Orban was “not perfect,” but nevertheless, the pattern that was used to remove him can be implemented again and again.
The EU is acting toward noncompliant states much like the US treats adversaries:
1. Sanctions and isolation to create instability and poverty.
2. Propaganda and funding of the opposition; constant activity by regime-change actors.
3.Accusations of corruption (while corruption in… pic.twitter.com/LTEAKLaG9W
— Martin Sellner (@MartinSellner_) April 12, 2026While it may be nice to fantasize about Magyar becoming a champion of immigration restriction, his European People’s Party (EPP) in the EU parliament is notorious for promoting mass legal immigration. This is, in the end, the far greater threat to Europe than even illegal immigration, as it accounts for the lion’s share of immigration into the continent. In reality, Magyar may have just been acting like a politician, making promises that he has no intention of keeping, including on immigration restriction. After all, he wanted to win in a conservative country, so this would indeed make sense.
Certainly, exceptions may be carved out for Magyar, just as they were for Donald Tusk in Poland. The EU knows that Hungary and Poland are far more conservative countries than Germany and Sweden. That means they cannot just begin a process of mass migration into these countries or impose too many liberal positions without weakening the stability of their preferred candidates. Meanwhile, when it comes to the most important votes, only time will tell where Magyar falls.
How will Magyar deal with Ukraine?
In addition, it is not so clear how Magyar will proceed with Ukraine. According to Politico, “Magyar wants to have good relations with Brussels and will likely unblock the loan. But it is a bittersweet victory for Zelensky, as the incoming prime minister has said he opposes sending Hungarian weapons or cash to Kyiv, and he opposes fast-tracking Ukraine’s EU accession. Magyar vowed to put that issue to a referendum, which would effectively mean stalling the process given the large anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Hungarian society, which he needs to cater to in order to maintain support.”
In the same article, Politico acknowledges that the loss of Orbán is a major loss for the right-wing of Europe, the driving force behind stopping mass immigration. This fact alone means that any claims that Magyar sincerely wants to restrict immigration run up against the desires of his own party allies at the European level.
Notably, many social media accounts have been pointing to Magyar’s statements about Russia following his victory.
“We will meet with the Russian president… because geography will not change, and our dependence on energy will continue temporarily. We will work on diversification, but not quickly… and if necessary, we will negotiate — but we will not become friends,” Magyar said.
In a column for UnHerd, Aris Roussinos wrote:
“Tisza’s leader, a Right-wing nationalist with a far more restrictive stance on legal immigration than Orbán, is hardly the radical liberal Fidesz and its army of MAGA influencers made him out to be. The crowd’s most animated and vehement chant was ‘Russians Go Home’,’ a relic of the 1956 revolution latterly applied to Fidesz.
But Péter Magyar has already signaled he won’t be unplugging the country from Russia’s cheap and plentiful energy bounty any time soon. Hungary has moved from one version of personalist conservative rule to another, this time round led by a former Fidesz insider with a European focus, ready to unlock Brussels’ long-withheld and sorely-missed financial bounty.”
Nevertheless, Magyar is expected to back the EU’s overall trend towards centralization. That means key votes in the future, such as on issues surrounding the creation of an EU army, a more centralized law enforcement system in Europe, and policies designed to take more control away from European nations and hand them to Brussels, could be backed by a Magyar government.
While Magyar could defy expectations, Magyar cannot stray too far from what the EU wants. After all, the EU has set another example by successfully ousting Orbán. He faced rule-of-law sanctions and those frozen billions left him vulnerable. Magyar will have to appeal to a broad coalition, including the far left, which backed his campaign. That means when it comes to key right-wing and conservative issues, Magyar will have a strong incentive to take the liberal path.
For many conservatives, immigration is and remains the key issue. Russia and Ukraine play second fiddle. Even a centralized Europe, for some on the right, can be stomached as long as that is a “Fortress Europe,” one that eschews mass immigration.
“The only question I have for the new leader of Hungary is this: Will he make the country look more like the current state of Western Europe, or will he not? Nothing else matters. (video from Brussels),” wrote Nioh Berg, known for her pro-Israel and anti-immigration content.
The only question I have for the new leader of Hungary is this:
Will he make the country look more like the current state of Western Europe, or will he not?
Nothing else matters.
(video from Brussels) pic.twitter.com/8ARBaOZOqp
— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) April 13, 2026While all ends of the political spectrum are racing to claim Magyar as their own, his path is likely to zig-zag while trying to placate the broad coalition that backed him. In the end, his term will almost certainly be negative for the right, and as a result, hopes of him cracking down on immigration are most likely misplaced.
