Viktor Orbán’s fourteen-year reign as Hungarian prime minister has seen him take many steps to entrench his power — but recent months have been some of the most difficult of his rule. In February, President Katalin Novák, a close Orbán ally, had to resign after it emerged that she had pardoned a convicted pedophile-enabler. Meanwhile, former justice minister Judit Varga — another close ally of the prime minister — announced that she was leaving public life, having countersigned the pardon.

Capitalizing on the large-scale dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of these events, as well as broader economic ills, Péter Magyar emerged as an unlikely opponent of Orbán’s rule. Himself formerly an insider in the ruling Fidesz party, Magyar’s rallies against Orbán have drawn large crowds nationwide. With European and local elections scheduled for June 9, and large chunks of EU funds for Hungary still frozen, the country may be at a turning point. Yet Magyar’s own record poses questions of what kind of change is even hoped for by members of the opposition.

András Jámbor is the founder and former chief editor of online left-wing new platform Mérce. In spring 2022, Jámbor was elected MP against all odds for Budapest’s eighth and ninth districts, representing green-left movement Szikra (Spark). In the last two years, he has emerged as one of Orbán’s most visible and consistent critics, playing an important role in the revitalization of the Hungarian left. He sat down with Jacobin to discuss the events of recent months and the social changes taking place in today’s Hungary.