In his winning campaign, Peter Magyar focused on corruption, the cost of living and Hungary’s place in Europe – but stayed silent on LGBTQI+ rights, which were chipped away under former prime minister Viktor Orban. For Tamas Dombos, a Budapest-based gay rights activist, Magyar’s caution is both understandable and unsettling.

With Hungary heading to elections on 12 April, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is not only defending his position at home, but trying to push his self-described “illiberal democracy” model across Europe. At the centre of that effort is a think tank which aims to influence politicians in Brussels.

Turnout in Hungary's closely watched parliamentary polls hit a record high on Sunday, as voters flocked to participate in a ballot that could end nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year rule.

When Hungary's Tisza party swept to a two-thirds majority, it ended Viktor Orban's 16-year grip on power and raised hopes – and difficult questions – about the country's democratic reset. Zsuzsanna Szelenyi, an early Fidesz member turned critic and now political analyst, reflects on Orban's transformation of the party, Hungary's regime-change challenges and a new generation's pro-European momentum.

In the final days before Hungary’s crucial elections on Sunday, the two candidates have been criss-crossing the country, whipping up enthusiasm in rival, frantic last-minute rallies. Huge crowds of flag-waving supporters have cheered them on all week, building towards what could become Hungary’s most important political moment since the fall of communism in 1989.

Voting has begun in Hungary's parliamentary elections, pitting incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s long-ruling Fidesz against challengers led by Peter Magyar’s Tisza party. The night before the polls, Orban wrapped-up his campaign with a rally in Budapest’s historic Buda Castle district, blending confidence, anti-war rhetoric, and MAGA-style flair amid scattered protests.

Armenia votes on Sunday in a parliamentary election seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's drive to loosen his country's historical dependence on Russia and turn towards the West.

This week's summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing underscores how far US-China relations have shifted since Richard Nixon’s landmark 1972 meeting with Mao Zedong, when Cold War pragmatism drew two rivals together against a common Soviet threat – a stark contrast to today’s climate of mistrust. 

Thousands surged to the riverbanks of the Danube in Budapest on Sunday night to celebrate Peter Magyar's Tisza party victory in the general election. Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's defeat, after 16 years in power, has ignited hopes for radical change amid economic despair. RFI spoke to some of those cheering for change.

As Hungary prepares for parliamentary elections on 12 April, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party maintains tight control over much of the country’s media – and concerns are mounting over how free and fair the vote can be.

As Peter Magyar prepares to take over as Hungary's new prime minister, one of his first priorities is to dismantle a media system established by his predecessor, Viktor Orban, that served to limit scrutiny and amplify the ruling party's narrative. But experts question whether the new government wants a truly independent press, and what it will take to restore the public's trust.

Chinese foreign direct investment in Europe surged last year to its highest level since 2018, driven by a wave of major acquisitions and large-scale factory projects. But analysts are warning the recovery could be temporary.