Hungarians Flock to Orban’s Former Office 3 Months After Election Defeat
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Hungarians Flock to Orban’s Former Office 3 Months After Election Defeat
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 21
Summary
For three months, crowds of Hungarians have streamed through Viktor Orban’s former offices in Budapest after his April election loss ended 16 years in power.
Peter Magyar, sworn in as prime minister in May, opened the Carmelite monastery suite and livestreamed it as proof of what he called the “lordliness, opulence and lies” of Orban’s rule.
Visitors expecting a dictator-style trove of excess instead found interiors described as restrained—closer to a high-end boutique hotel than a gold-trimmed palace.
The public opening has turned the former seat of power into a political symbol, letting Hungarians inspect a once-sealed center of government for themselves.