Hungary and beyond
(Alexander Burns – Politico) The defeat of Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, should deliver a sharp jolt to one of America’s two major political parties. Oddly, it’s not the Republicans, deeply invested though they were in Orbán as a fellow traveler. There is no question that Orbán’s downfall is a loss for MAGA-style politics and a reminder that even a developed system of so-called “illiberal democracy” has its limits. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance committed personal credibility and political capital to sustaining Orbán-ism, including by dispatching Vance to campaign for the premier in the final days of the election. – Hungary’s Election Sends a Jolting Message — to Democrats – POLITICO
(Linda Hourani, Chris Powers, Francis Farrell, Abbey Fenbert – The Kyiv Independent) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule over Hungary came to an end on April 12 in a historic election marked by record-breaking turnout. The election results are “painful for us, but clear,” Orban said in a brief concession speech Sunday night. “The responsibility for and the opportunity to govern were not given to us,” he said. – Historic election ousts Hungary’s Orban after 16 years in power
(Dmytro Basmat – The Kyiv Independent) President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar on a historic election victory on April 12, as Kyiv aims to reset relations with Budapest following Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule over Hungary. “I congratulate Peter Magyar and the TISZA party on their convincing victory. It is important when a constructive approach prevails,” Zelensky wrote on social media. “Ukraine has always sought good-neighborly relations with everyone in Europe, and we are ready to develop cooperation with Hungary,” Zelensky said, adding that Kyiv is ready for “meetings and joint constructive work” with what will become the new Hungarian government. – Zelensky congratulates Magyar on election victory, says Kyiv ready to ‘develop cooperation’ with Hungary
(Xinhua/Global Times) Hungary’s opposition party Tisza, led by Peter Magyar, defeated Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling coalition by securing a majority in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results released by the National Election Office (NEO). With 98.89 percent of the votes counted by the NEO, Tisza won 53.21 percent and was projected to win 138 of the 199 parliament seats, exceeding the two-thirds threshold. Orban’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP alliance received 38.26 percent and was projected to win 55 seats. The far-right Our Homeland Movement won 5.85 percent and is projected to take 6 seats. Other parties failed to clear the 5-percent threshold required to enter parliament. Preliminary statistics showed that turnout reached about 77.8 percent among roughly 8.1 million eligible voters, marking a record high. On social media, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok expressed his congratulations to “the winning party of the elections and to all the candidates of the parliament.”. Addressing supporters in Budapest, 45-year-old Magyar hailed his party’s “decisive victory,” saying it was a win seen “from every Hungarian window.” He added that Hungary will once again be a strong ally in the European Union (EU) and NATO. – Hungary’s Tisza party wins parliamentary elections, defeating Orban’s ruling coalition – Global Times
(RFE/RL) Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar has scored a landmark election victory over Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ousting US President Donald Trump’s closest ally in Europe on promises of rebuilding the country’s European Union ties while curbing them with Moscow. “The election results are not final yet, but the situation is understandable and clear,” Orban said late on April 12 as results showing Magyar’s center-right Tisza party with a sizeable lead over Orban’s right-wing Fidesz. “The election result is painful for us, but clear. The responsibility and possibility of governing was not given to us. I have congratulated the winner.” – Hungarian Opposition Leader Magyar Scores Landslide Win To Oust Orban
(Zachary Basu – Axios) Hungarian voters have ousted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, delivering a stunning rebuke to one of the Western world’s most entrenched populist leaders. The political earthquake in Hungary, where Vice President Vance was dispatched to campaign for Orbán in the final days of the election, will ripple far beyond Budapest. Péter Magyar, a 45-year-old former Fidesz insider who broke with Orbán two years ago and built the upstart Tisza party into a political juggernaut, claimed victory Sunday night. With early results showing a dominant victory, Orbán congratulated Magyar and vowed to continue serving Hungary from the opposition, despite the “painful” defeat. With 99% of votes counted, Magyar’s Tisza party won 138 of 199 parliamentary seats, a two-thirds supermajority, to Fidesz’s 55. – Hungary election: Trump ally Viktor Orbán loses after 16 years in power
Russia/Ukraine
(Dmytro Basmat – The Kyiv Independent) Russian forces launched an attack on Chernihiv Oblast late on April 12, damaging an energy facility and leaving thousands of subscribers without power in the region, officials said. Officials from the regional energy company ChernihivOblenergo reported on social media that 12,000 subscribers left without power in the region. Although the exact timing of the attack was not immediately clear, the late night reports appear to suggest that Russian forces violated the previously announced 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire set to through the end of April 12. – Russia strikes energy infrastructure in Chernihiv Oblast, leaving 12,000 subscribers without power
(Dmytro Basmat – The Kyiv Independent) Russian independent media outlet Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, has confirmed the identities of 208,755 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine. Since the media outlets’ last update in late March, the names of 2,553 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties. The journalists note that the actual figures are likely significantly higher, as their verified information comes from public sources such as obituaries, posts by relatives, regional media reports, and statements from local authorities. The confirmed death toll now includes over 76,300 volunteers, 23,400 recruited prisoners, and 18,400 mobilized soldiers, according to the media outlets. – Nearly 209,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine identified by media investigation
US/Vatican
(Rebecca Falconer – Axios) President Trump lashed out against Pope Leo XIV on Sunday night, calling him “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” and accusing him of “catering to the Radical Left.”. Trump’s comments escalate already high tensions between the president and the first U.S.-born pope, who has increasingly spoken out on Trump administration immigration policies and the Iran war. Trump attacked Leo in a lengthy Truth Social post one day after the Chicago-born pontiff denounced during a prayer vigil for peace what he called a “delusion of omnipotence” during the war. Trump criticized the pope on matters including the Catholic Church’s stance during the COVID pandemic and said he likes Leo’s elder brother Louis Prevost “much better” than him because, he claimed, he’s “all MAGA.” – Trump slams Pope Leo as “weak,” “terrible” after Iran war criticism
War in Iran/Middle East/Gulf and beyond
(Reuters/Al Arabiya) The US military said it will begin a blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after weekend talks failed to reach a deal to end the war with Iran, jeopardizing a fragile two-week ceasefire. The talks in Islamabad, which ran from Saturday into early Sunday, were the first direct US-Iranian meeting in more than a decade and the highest-level discussions since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. The negotiations came days after a ceasefire began on Tuesday, aimed at ending six weeks of fighting that has killed thousands of people across the Gulf, throttled vital supplies of energy and sparked fears of a wider regional conflict. – US military to begin blockade of Iran ports after talks fail to yield a deal
(Ben German – Axios) Oil prices jumped over 7% to well over $100 per barrel when markets opened Sunday evening and remained high into Monday. The latest surge shows that traders don’t see last week’s U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal reviving large-scale tanker transit through the Strait of Hormuz — and it undoes a large amount of the price drop that followed the pause in hostilities. Continued high prices will delay major relief at U.S. gasoline pumps, where regular gasoline prices dipped slightly in recent days and currently average $4.13-per-gallon, per AAA. The global benchmark Brent crude was up by over $7 per barrel to $102.29 Sunday evening, while WTI, the main U.S. price, was up by roughly $8 to $104.56. – Oil prices surge on Trump’s blockade vow, failed U.S.-Iran talks
