In videos on Facebook, Peter Magyar showed Viktor Orban's luxurious headquarters. Hungary is shocked by the extravagance, and the new prime minister has much bigger goals.
The masks of autocrats and dictators often fall when footage of their luxurious lives is shown after they are overthrown - this is what happened with Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. The photos of their golden toilets will not be forgotten soon.
A similar moment is now being experienced by Viktor Orbán and his entourage: immediately after the official inauguration of the new Hungarian government, Prime Minister Péter Magyar posted videos on Facebook of tours of Orbán's official residence, as well as two ministries. There are no golden toilets in them, but there are huge rooms furnished in the most luxurious way. Orbán, who likes to call himself a "country boy" to emphasize his connection with ordinary people, has decorated his office with almost a hundred valuable paintings - taken both from the collection of the National Gallery and from a private catalog.
In front of several of his ministers, Magyar spoke of "a feeling like Ceausescu", while at the same time telling about visits to dilapidated hospitals and schools. One of the videos was viewed eight million times in just one day, and Hungary has a population of ten million.
Anger and satisfaction
Showing Orbán's palaces and the insane luxury of his elite - in a country that is declining - may seem like cheap populism from the outside. However, for many Hungarians, the footage caused anger, but also satisfaction, associated with the feeling that they were regaining their dignity, since the elite had been exposed in such a way. This can only be understood if one considers the long-standing arbitrariness, arrogance and humiliating arrogance of the Orbán regime, which were becoming increasingly unbearable for many Hungarians.
It can be assumed that Péter Magyar will continue to govern in this style. During his swearing-in ceremony, he left no doubt that he was striving for a profound change in the system. The ultimate goal was the reconciliation of the divided Hungarian society. To achieve this, justice is needed, Magyar emphasized. However, there could be no such thing if Orbán's system was not reconsidered - both morally and legally.
A day full of symbolism
This rethinking began precisely on the day the new government officially took power. Magyar declared it the "day of change in the system", which was full of symbolism. Hungarian journalists did not believe that they could again freely broadcast from parliament - something that was almost completely banned under Orbán's rule. And 12 years after its abolition, the EU flag was again flown in front of parliament.
For the first time, the unofficial anthem of the Hungarian Roma was also played during a parliamentary session. And Magyar's inaugural speech was a verbal settling of scores with the previous system. Orbán himself did not find the courage to come - although in the Hungarian parliament it is customary for the outgoing and the new prime minister to shake hands.
Later, on the square in front of the parliament, the Roma singer Ibolya Ola sang the patriotic song "There is a Country - Hungary". She had not sung it for years, as Hungarian nationalists had taken away her right to do so as a Roma woman and regularly threatened her. The performance was attended by thousands of people and was one of the most exciting symbolic moments of the change of power.
The cabinet includes authoritative experts
In the new cabinet – which is also new for Hungary, there are almost only authoritative experts in their fields who have had nothing or almost nothing to do with politics until now: diplomat and energy expert Anita Orbán is foreign minister, a former oil company manager is economy minister, an orthopedic surgeon takes over health care, and other cabinet members include leading lawyers, as well as specialists in finance, education, and high technology.
Some of the new government's intentions have been known for a long time - such as the creation of an independent anti-corruption body and an office for the return of illegally acquired assets. Prime Minister Magyar and his chief of staff Bálint Rúf have announced that a comprehensive audit of state spending by Hungary will be carried out. A list of the names of agents of the communist State Security in Hungary in the period 1945-1989 is to be published in the autumn - an act that has been delayed for 30 years.
Village government meeting
Many of the stated intentions are actually common democratic practice in EU countries, but in Hungary they sound revolutionary: restoring the independence of the judiciary and the autonomy of universities, dialogue with civil society and the media, a fair and transparent electoral system, a broad debate on equality, abortion and same-sex marriage.
The first government meeting was symbolically held in the village of Opusztaszer - a mystical place where Hungarian nomadic tribes once settled in 896 and thus laid the foundations of the state of Hungary. Today, the region is suffering from a severe drought - this was also commented on during the meeting.
Magyar has set himself and the government such ambitious goals as no other Hungarian prime minister since 1990, especially morally. One of his first personal tests is about to be the reduction of his salary, which he himself announced. This was part of the Orbán system: he had the highest salary among all European prime ministers relative to the average salary in the country.