Timár, a Universty of Tartu junior research fellow in Finno-Ugric studies, said many Hungarians are considering going back following the end of  Viktor Orbán's 16-year reign as prime minister, but practical realities remain.

She described years of gradual political tightening under Orbán's rule, rather than sudden, drastic shifts.

"Every week something happened," she said. "Someone's business was taken away, laws were changed, or EU procurements were structured so only Orbán's pals could qualify."

Despite protests and court cases, she added, "People went out to protest, but nothing would change."

That atmosphere, she said, created a constant feeling of uncertainty, with people unsure who might be affected next.

"We kept saying, 'Surely Orbán won't do this,' and then he always did," Timár said. "There was always this fear of 'When will I be next?' Would it be academics, or my own parents, who are small business owners?"

She said frustration often turned into shame over their helplessness. "People wanted to act, but they simply couldn't," she added.

'It wasn't only Orbán'

Timár said her own move to Estonia was influenced by that environment, but also by career opportunity.

She said she saw better prospects for young researchers abroad. "I realized it's not researchers' inevitable fate to always be poor and begging for funding," she quipped.

Still, she stressed the decision was not purely political. "I truly fell in love with Estonia and had a clear plan and dream to live here," the research fellow said.

"It wasn't only because of Viktor Orbán," she added. "Thankfully he doesn't have that much influence on my life."

Timár said she has felt welcomed in Estonia, where conversations often turn to Hungary's politics and language ties.

"People usually ask right away 'Why Orbán?' and how our languages are connected," she said.

'I love Estonia too much'

Despite distant linguistic ties, she said Estonians and Hungarians are not actually closely related today.

"We lived together thousands of years ago," she said, adding that Estonian and Hungarian were about as closely linked as Spanish and Russian, which are both Indo-European languages.

Even with political change in Hungary and the rise of opposition leader Péter Magyar, however, Timár said she has no plans to leave Estonia.

"I love Estonia too much," she said. "I have a life here, a partner and a baby on the way. I feel very good here in Estonia."

She noted some Hungarians are considering returning home, but warned it's not that simple. "There's still a lot to be done in Hungary first," Timár noted.

Looking at the aftermath of Hungary's April 12 parliamentary elections, Timár described a mixed national mood.

"People are celebrating and crying, but there's also a lot of anger and disappointment," she said. "It's been 16 years which isn't easy to let go of."

Even her own mother admitted she struggles to believe Hungary will see real change.

A lot of work to be done

The researcher said confusion also remains among voters of Orbán's Fidesz party after years of distorted information.

"They were fed false claims about how few opposition supporters there were and how low attendance at protests was," she said. "Many Fidesz voters didn't even go to vote because they were so unconcerned. Now they were definitely very surprised."

Timár said many voters had never seen unedited interviews with Magyar, instead encountering heavily manipulated content. She added that Magyar had also been largely excluded from Hungary's state-controlled media.

She said the new Hungarian government faces difficult choices now, including how to handle bureaucracy shaped by years of political loyalty taking precedence over professional qualifications.

"There are many people who weren't qualified officials, but just followed orders," she said.

However, she added, the aim is not wholesale replacement, but building a more professional and independent system. Time will tell how quickly change comes, Timár said, but the need for reform is clear.

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