Hungary’s new government, led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, has officially lifted the state of emergency that has been in effect since 2020. According to Magyar, this move represents a return to "normalcy" and marks the end of a four-year period of special legal regimes introduced by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The Origin and Extension of the State of Emergency
The state of emergency in Hungary was initially declared in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, granting the government broad powers to rule by decree and bypass parliament. In 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the regime was extended on the grounds of security risks and the humanitarian crisis along the border.
Over the past few years, the Fidesz-majority parliament repeatedly extended the emergency powers, effectively allowing the Orbán government to manage the country outside the standard legislative process for an entire four-year cycle. Critics, including those in the European Parliament, described the system as "completely incompatible with European values."
The Era of "Rule by Decree" Comes to an End
On May 14, 2026, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that Hungary’s wartime state of emergency would cease immediately, terminating a six-year system of governance based on decrees. Parliament has already codified the primary emergency orders into law, formally ending the special legal regime while maintaining certain regulations through standard legislation.
Lifting the state of emergency is regarded as a major step by the new government to align Hungarian politics with European norms and democratic standards. Magyar stressed that while the country remains ready to respond to new threats, it will do so through established democratic procedures rather than autonomous executive powers.
A Sharp Shift in Policy Toward Russia
Simultaneous with the end of the state of emergency, Hungary’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador following a massive drone strike on the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine, which has a large ethnic Hungarian population. Prime Minister Magyar stated that the Hungarian government "strongly condemns the Russian attack on Zakarpattia" and will seek answers from Moscow regarding the end of the war that began more than four years ago.
Analysts view the move as a clear change in course from the policies of Viktor Orbán, who long maintained close ties with Moscow and frequently blocked stricter EU anti-Russian initiatives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Budapest’s reaction an "important message," emphasizing that the attack once again demonstrated that Russia is a threat not only to Kyiv but to its neighbors and all of Europe.
