Orbán Ends 16 Years in Power in Hungary; French Foreign Minister: Russia Loses 'Trojan Horse' in EU

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has lost the general election, ending his 16-year rule. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated today that Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost his 'Trojan horse' in the European Union. French media noted Hungary's reliance on Russian energy and stated that future relations between the two countries remain to be seen. Orbán's government has repeatedly clashed with the European Commission, which accuses him of no longer adhering to the treaty Hungary signed when it joined the EU in 2004. Barrot, speaking on Radio France Internationale (RFI), said Orbán's loss in the weekend's parliamentary election was a personal defeat and a setback for figures like Putin, declaring 'Putin has lost his Trojan horse in the EU.' He expressed hope that Peter Magyar, who is expected to become Hungary's next Prime Minister, will fulfill his promises to 'rebuild some of the rule-of-law pillars that Orbán dismantled, lead Hungary back into the community of European nations, and withdraw some of the unreasonable vetoes.' Le Figaro mentioned that Hungary has maintained good relations with powers seeking to weaken the EU, such as the United States, China, and Russia, and continues to purchase energy from Russia. The newspaper analyzed that Orbán's defeat is also a setback for his allies, including Alice Weidel, leader of Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD), Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen. This is also bad news for Putin, who has lost several allies in recent years, including former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro who was captured by the US, and former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died in a joint US-Israeli attack. Political scientist Thibault Muzergues believes Orbán's defeat was primarily due to economic factors, stating that he 'turned Hungary from a leading Central European country into a poor country like the Balkan states, with extremely severe corruption problems.' The report also pointed out that although Magyar has promised to rebuild relations with the EU, he remains a conservative and may continue some of Orbán's policies, particularly regarding the crackdown on immigration. Furthermore, the extent to which Magyar will distance himself from Russia remains to be seen; although he has promised to rebrand Hungary as a pro-European nation, Hungary still relies on Russia for energy, such as oil and natural gas.