Hungarians vote for a change of course, but impact on LGBTIQ+ rights remains uncertain

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar won the Hungarian elections on Sunday with his party Tisza, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s sixteen-year rule. The victory was widely celebrated in the capital, Budapest.

In recent weeks, it had already become clear that Orbán’s party was trailing in the polls. On Sunday evening, Orbán quickly conceded defeat. With nearly 90 percent of the votes counted, Magyar secured two-thirds of the seats in parliament. If he manages to maintain this majority, Tisza will be able to reverse many of the decisions Orbán implemented in recent years.

This could also affect the many restrictions placed on the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community. In recent years, this minority group has been repeatedly targeted by Orbán’s regime. In 2021, his government adopted a law banning the "promotion" of homosexuality and transgender identity. In practice, this means that references to LGBTI+ people are not allowed in places where minors are present. The law has drawn repeated criticism from the European Union.

Budapest Pride was also targeted for years by the regime and was ultimately banned last year. Despite the ban, between 180,000 and 200,000 people took to the streets at the end of June, including delegations from more than thirty countries. Budapest mayor Gergely Karácsony, who granted a permit for the Pride despite the ban, was subsequently prosecuted and is expected to appear in court soon.

Magyar’s victory was welcomed by several European leaders.
"Congratulations to Péter Magyar and the Tisza party on their victory in the Hungarian parliamentary elections," Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot wrote on X. "A historic moment for Hungary and for Europe."
"With record turnout, Hungarians voted for change. They chose a government that will restore the institutions on which democracy is built. They chose the rule of law."
Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten praised "a new step for Hungary and the EU, with hope for the restoration of democracy, the rule of law and European cooperation." He described it as "a historic election victory."

However, it remains uncertain whether the situation for Hungary’s LGBTIQ+ community will improve in the short term. "What Orbán built was not just political power, but a system," said LGBTIQ+ rights activist and Forbidden Colours chair Rémy Bonny. "One embedded in laws, institutions and funding structures designed to outlast any election.
That system does not disappear overnight. In recent years, LGBTIQ+ people were turned into political targets: the "propaganda law," the ban on Pride, restrictions on adoption, the abolition of legal gender recognition and a constitution that enshrines discrimination.
Dismantling this system must now be the priority."