Péter Magyar's restructuring of Hungary deemed legitimate by expert

Hungarian expert Kim Lane Scheppele, a sociology professor at Princeton University, has described the rapid restructuring of the Hungarian state following the end of Viktor Orbán’s era as ‘legitimate.’

Scheppele noted that Prime Minister Péter Magyar is primarily reversing the changes implemented by the previous regime. She distinguished between laws designed for power control and those intended solely for power retention. Magyar, who led the TISZA party to a two-thirds majority victory in April, had previously identified key officials for replacement, including the President, the heads of the Constitutional Court, the Court of Audit, the Supreme Court, and the Prosecutor General.

As evidence that Magyar is not seeking to maximize personal power, Scheppele pointed to his decision to limit his own term to two periods and the appointment of András Baka, a former President of the Supreme Court and former judge at the European Court of Human Rights, as President. Baka is noted for his independence and is not considered part of Magyar’s inner circle.