Mart Helme (EKRE), deputy chair of the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee, visited Hungary three weeks ago where he also met with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who had highlighted two main concerns ahead of the elections.

"During his 16 years in power, a new generation has grown up that is tired of him and Fidesz and longs for fresh air," Helme explained, describing Orbán's position.

As a second reason, Orbán had pointed to foreign interference influencing the elections.

"He was primarily referring to interference by the European Commission and to the anti-Fidesz propaganda coming from the media," Helme said.

In Helme's assessment, claims that Hungary is undemocratic are themselves part of a propaganda narrative.

"I'm not a frequent visitor to Hungary — I've been there a few times — but nowhere did I experience that people were afraid to speak. You can sit in a café or restaurant and talk completely freely, whether with a server or someone else," Helme said, adding that people in Hungary tended to be rather critical of Orbán.

Helme also said that election winner Péter Magyar will likely look more toward Europe, though he does not believe that Hungary's relations with Russia will be completely severed.

MP: Incoming government will not have an easy time

Raimond Kaljulaid, a Social Democratic member of the Riigikogu National Defense Committee, said that the removal from power of Viktor Orbán, whom he described as having courted Russia, is in any case a win for Europe.

"It was such an overwhelmingly strong public sentiment that Orbán and more broadly the system of power he built is not favorable for Hungary. Hungary was certainly seen as moving further and further away from Europe and its Western partners, and especially younger people want Hungary to be part of Europe and the Western world," Kaljulaid said.

At the same time, Kaljulaid noted that taking over power will be difficult for the new government — economically, domestically and also in terms of energy where the country remains largely dependent on Russia.

"There may still be people there who are advancing Russia's interests, which means that Russia may have ambitions to obstruct the new government in every possible way and start putting spokes in its wheels. This will not be easy," Kaljulaid explained.

Kaljulaid also said that some observers were surprised that Orbán accepted the election results immediately. According to him, this could confirm the prime minister's desire not to go down in Hungary's history as a negative figure.

Kaljulaid added that Orbán may in the future look toward both the United States, where he has a broad network of contacts, and Russia, where former Western politicians have previously taken up well-paid positions.

"You never know — perhaps after 16 years of hard work, he is simply very tired and will just retire," Kaljulaid said.

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