US Vice-President JD Vance has defended his recent campaign visit to Hungary, where he supported Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shortly before the opposition party Tisza secured a landslide victory in the election, according to BBC.

Vance’s Defense of Orbán

Vance told Fox News that he believed Orbán was a ‘great guy’ who did a ‘very good job’ and that he was ‘one of the few European leaders we’ve seen who’s been willing to stand up to the bureaucracy in Brussels,’ according to BBC.

Although Vance expressed sadness over Orbán’s defeat, he stated that he was confident the US would ‘work very well’ with the new government, according to BBC.

US-NATO Relations

Vance emphasized that the US is a ‘strong and important’ NATO partner and that he would be open to speaking with President Donald Trump or any other leader who reached out, according to BBC.

Orbán will continue to serve in a caretaker capacity until the new prime minister, Péter Magyar, is sworn in, according to BBC.

The three party leaders with parliamentary seats have been invited to meet President Tamás Sulyok on Wednesday, according to BBC.

Magyar’s Plan for Hungary

Sulyok has the task of convening Hungary’s new parliament and recommending the next prime minister by 12 May, according to BBC.

Magyar has urged Sulyok to act as soon as possible and then resign, calling him a ‘puppet’ of Orbán’s government, according to BBC.

Magyar has suggested he could become prime minister on 5 May, or even sooner, according to BBC.

Sulyok’s office has stated that he will not resign, but he is expected to discuss with the three party leaders when to convene the National Assembly and propose a new prime minister, according to BBC.

In another development, Magyar said he would appear on public radio and TV on Wednesday ahead of his visit to the president, according to BBC.

Magyar stated that he had never been allowed on public TV while leading the opposition party, but was asked on Monday after his party’s victory, according to BBC.

Magyar refused the initial invitation and pledged to suspend all news coverage on public TV and radio until it could guarantee unbiased coverage, according to BBC.

Magyar mentioned that he has a board to ensure state media independence, similar to the model of the BBC and other public broadcasters, according to BBC.

Magyar has set a series of tasks as soon as his party comes to office, having won a ‘super majority’ of 137 seats, according to BBC.

Although the results are not final, Magyar believes Tisza will increase its margin of victory, according to BBC.

Winning two-thirds of the 199 seats in parliament means the government has the ability to change the constitution and reverse Orbán-era changes, according to BBC.

Magyar described Hungary as the poorest and most corrupt member of the European Union, according to BBC.

He said his government will create an Anti-Corruption Office and a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, and start the process of joining the EU’s European Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to BBC.

Viktor Orbán’s government became infamous for a system of cronyism that allowed public contracts to go to favored individuals, according to BBC.

The rule of law was compromised by a lack of judicial independence, according to BBC.

Magyar has spoken of Hungary being ‘robbed bare,’ with billions going missing in state contracts and corruption taking place on an industrial scale, according to BBC.

Top of his priorities will be to unlock billions of euros in EU funding and loans that were frozen due to various issues such as rule of law and democratic backsliding under Orbán, according to BBC.

An estimated €17bn (£14.8bn) has been suspended, but Hungary is also waiting for €16bn more to be approved in defense loans, according to BBC.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she had spoken to Magyar on Tuesday and said there was ‘swift work to be done to… restore the rule of law [and] realign with our shared European values,’ according to BBC.

Meanwhile, EU leaders are urgently pushing for Hungary to overturn a veto imposed by Orbán on €90bn in aid to Ukraine in the weeks leading up to the election, according to BBC.

Magyar has made clear he does not consider the veto to be relevant, as Hungary was one of three countries that opted out of the loan to Ukraine last December, according to BBC.

Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stressed that the aid to Kyiv should be released ‘very quickly’ with the change of government in Hungary, according to BBC.

Merz met Magyar earlier this year in Munich, and the new Hungarian leader will make Berlin one of his first foreign destinations, according to BBC.