Wie kann man Ungarn wieder zu einer rechtsstaatlichen, prowestlichen Demokratie machen? Vizeregierungschefin Anita Orbán über die Rückabwicklung von 16 Jahren Fidesz-Herrschaft und den Umgang mit Russland.

Many factors contributed to the Hungarian government’s election defeat, including social media campaigns which misfired as public trust eroded. Yet Russian-style disinformation remains a persistent threat.

Newly elected Tisza party asked public to put forward names, which have ranged from the sensible to the bizarre

Eszter Jámbor, a 46-year-old content creator who focuses on sex education, had a different kind of question for her Instagram followers last week: who did they think should be Hungary’s next president?

The suggestions ranged from reality TV stars to bodybuilders and the Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Palvin. But another anonymous online poll asking Hungarians the same question revealed the most popular candidate to be András Arató, a retired electrical engineer who found global online fame as a meme: Hide the Pain Harold. Katalin Karikó, the Nobel-winning biochemist, and Ernő Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik’s cube, were also popular choices.

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© Composite: Getty and Shutterstock

© Composite: Getty and Shutterstock

© Composite: Getty and Shutterstock

Bayerns Ministerpräsident präsentiert sich auf seiner Reise als Anwalt Südosteuropas – und als seriöser Staatsmann. Es geht um Autos, Hightech und Europa. Und natürlich um ihn.

Elsewhere, suspected Russian missile crashes in Poland; Hungary sets up agency to recover assets stolen under Orban government; Slovak president calls for more use of Chinese tech on visit to Beijing; Czech government warns of rising online youth radicalisation.

Hungary will become the only country in Europe without a printed political daily when Magyar Nemzet switches to a weekly publication on August 1. Other smaller European media markets are likely to go down the same path.

Elsewhere, Hungary’s chief prosecutor resigns amid mounting pressure from new government; President Nawrocki vetoes civil partnerships in Poland; political rift deepens as Czech president overrules government’s budget amendment.

Hungary’s PM fired the president, fulfilling a campaign pledge to remove ‘Fidesz puppets’ from public office. A shambolic attempt to nominate a successor grabbed the headlines, but the focus should be on the government’s drafting of an entirely new constitution.

Getting rid of the Orban-appointed president was a big victory for Hungary’s new government, but the rushed attempt to nominate chess legend Judit Polgar as his successor is its first major blunder.

Judit Polgár says she does not ‘feel enough strength within me’ to take on the responsibility of uniting a divided nation

The Hungarian chess ⁠legend Judit Polgár has said she will not accept the nomination for president, only a day after the ⁠prime minister, Péter Magyar, ⁠said he ​would ask her to take up the largely ceremonial role.

Magyar had said he would meet Polgár on Monday to discuss the matter. “Our country needs unity, peace and a president that all Hungarians can be proud of,” he wrote on social media. “Judit Polgár’s name has been synonymous with talent and perseverance for decades.”

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© Photograph: Peter Kohalmi/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Peter Kohalmi/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: Peter Kohalmi/AFP/Getty Images

Premier Magyar will die Schach-Olympiasiegerin Judit Polgár zum Staatsoberhaupt machen. Den bisherigen Präsidenten hat er per Verfassungsänderung und mit einer Drohung aus dem Amt gedrängt.

Tamás Sulyok, ein politischer Freund des abgewählten Rechtspopulisten Orbán, macht den Weg für Verfassungsänderungen frei. Premier Magyar will nun tiefgreifende Reformen durchsetzen.

Elsewhere, Russia’s FSB links alleged Moscow drone plot to Slovakia; leader of Czech coalition party Motorists under fire after Prague car crash; Poland not among founding members of new European coalition to develop ballistic missile defence.

Tamas Sulyok now faces a stark choice: either he signs his own dismissal within five days or faces impeachment.

Wie überlebensfähig sind Europas Demokratien unter dem Druck autokratischer Weltmächte? Pulitzer-Preisträgerin Anne Applebaum über Trumps Emotionen, Putins Wahnhaftigkeit und die Stärke der Europäer.

Elsewhere, Slovakia's referendum fails over low turnout, Hungary heads for a presidential showdown, and Czechia’s double delegation to the NATO summit sparks controversy.

Ungarns Ministerpräsident Peter Magyar hat die staatlichen Fernseh- und Rundfunksender angewiesen, Nachrichtensendungen vorläufig einzustellen. Die Chefredaktionen sollen neu aufgestellt werden.

Péter Magyar hails ‘end of propaganda broadcasts’ as Kossuth radio and M1 TV channels suspend transmission

Hungarian public media outlets close to Viktor Orbán have suspended broadcasting, the country’s prime minister said as he hailed efforts to dismantle the longtime nationalist leader’s control over information.

Péter Magyar, who ousted Orbán in a landslide election victory in April, wrote on Facebook: “A historic day. Today marks the end of propaganda broadcasts on public media platforms. They lied at night, they lied during the day, they lied on every wavelength. That is now over.”

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© Photograph: Márton Mónus/Reuters

© Photograph: Márton Mónus/Reuters

© Photograph: Márton Mónus/Reuters