Hungarian politics don’t usually matter much to the outside world, but the landslide election victory of Péter Magyar’s Tisza party is different. Vladimir Putin and Steve Bannon are plunged into gloom. Ursula von der Leyen and Volodymyr Zelensky have a spring in their step as one of the most remarkable political careers of the 21st century comes to what looks like its end.
Like him or loathe him, Viktor Orbán was one of a handful of leaders who consistently punched above his weight. With a population of about 9.5 million and an underperforming economy, Hungary isn’t one of the earth’s movers and shakers. That Mr. Orbán emerged from Budapest to become a hero to a generation of emerging MAGA activists in the U.S. and a significant player in European power politics testifies to the talent of the man Hungarian voters have just unceremoniously dumped.