Esme Nicholson

Among the checks and balances he plans to reintroduce is a limit on the number of terms somebody can serve as prime minister to two terms.

In apparent reference to his predecessor, Magyar stressed to reporters that he was not here to get rich or to rule forever.

For NPR News, I'm Esme Nicholson in Budapest.

Orban said he had congratulated the victorious party.

That party is TISA and its leader, 45-year-old Peter Magyar, who, addressing a crowd of thousands on the banks of the Danube, called for unity, saying let this be a victory for all Hungarians.

As Brussels now looks forward to working with a more pro-European Hungarian leader, Moscow and the current White House administration have lost in Orban a key ally in Europe.

Well, I mean, first of all, I've never seen so many Hungarian flags.

And people are not just elated and overjoyed, but they are relieved.

I spoke to a teacher in her 50s who said Hungary belongs to Europe, not Russia, and is relieved that her son has a future.

I also spoke to 18-year-old Sara Chongeradi, who had voted...

For the very first time, she really couldn't contain her excitement.

This is her speaking.

Well, among the crowd, the answer I heard most was that he is not Orban, that he is simply something new.

He's a center-right politician, as we know, although we don't know that much.

really about him, of course.

But he's not considered a progressive.

And yet there were lots of progressive liberal voters out there this evening simply relieved that he is change.

He represents change.

He is not Orban.

But others were also quite realistic and quite aware that Madhya has a huge task on his hands.