This was one of the most moving moments in the change of power in Hungary: on May 9, 2026, after the new parliament in Budapest was solemnly inaugurated, a group of children in white shirts entered the plenary hall of the majestic building. Most of them - Roma. They sang and played tambourines - instruments similar to mandolins. Not just any song, but the unofficial anthem of the Hungarian Roma: "Green is the forest, green is the hill".
Magyar kept his promise
Many deputies were moved to tears. As did many of the tens of thousands of people outside Parliament Square watching the symbolic change of power on big screens. Among them was Aladar Horvath, one of Hungary's most prominent Roma civil rights activists. Horvath was one of the first Roma MPs in Hungary since the end of the communist dictatorship in 1990. He said: "My eyes filled with tears too. It felt like we were finally coming home."
With this children's performance, the new Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar fulfilled a personal promise of his - in November 2025, during a visit to the village of Szikesd in southern Hungary, he met the mandolin ensemble and promised the children to invite them to parliament if his party "Tisza" won the elections.
There was another emotional moment at the ceremony on May 9: after the establishment of the new parliament, on the steps in front of the building's entrance, the Roma singer and lesbian Iboya Ola performed the melancholic-patriotic song "There is a Country - Hungary". For years, the singer had been attacked by nationalists, who find this song a thorn in their side. However, Magyar had invited her too, and after her performance, he hugged her.
Historic Moment in Europe
The new Hungarian Prime Minister has demonstrated an extraordinary sense of symbols in politics. Sometimes he writes history with this: the events of May 9 in and in front of the Hungarian parliament represent a historic moment for the Roma in Hungary, and also in Europe. Never before in European history have representatives of this minority been so demonstratively included in the symbolic moment of a change of power. This is happening at a time that marks the end of 16 years of authoritarian rule in Hungary - that of Viktor Orbán, for whom anti-Gypsyism was characteristic.
But this was not just a symbolic gesture - there are four deputies of Roma origin in the parliamentary group of "Tisza". One of them - Christian Kösségi, a teacher and long-time school principal, was elected deputy speaker of the parliament. He became the first Roma in Hungarian history to hold this position.
Prime Minister Magyar has already spoken out strongly against anti-Gypsyism on several occasions. In parliament, he condemned the faction of the far-right party "Our Homeland" because on May 9 it demonstratively left the plenary hall just during the performance of the children's mandolin ensemble. "Shame on you!", he addressed the deputies. Turning your back on children because of their origin is unacceptable, the new prime minister added.
Roma hope for radical change
For Hungarian Roma, everything that has been happening since May 9, 2026, is of great importance - a radical change in tone is felt. There are officially about 300,000 Roma living in the country, and according to unofficial estimates - up to 800,000. Under Orbán's regime, they were collectively discredited by the highest echelons with numerous, horrifying discriminatory statements.
Orbán himself announced his "new policy towards Roma" in 2012 at a congress on the subject, stating that "everyone must work" because "one cannot live off crime". In January 2026, then-Minister of Transport János Lázár called the Roma an "internal reserve" of labor that should be "used" to "clean the dirty toilets on intercity trains."
From a socio-economic perspective, over the past 16 years, the vast majority of Roma have developed a deep caste-like system of state dependence on the margins of society. Adult Roma have been forced to participate in so-called municipal work programs, which have proven to be a dead end on the labor market. For many Roma children and youth, the system of discrimination and segregation at school has become entrenched. During elections, Roma have been systematically bribed to vote for the Fidesz party. And corrupt Roma politicians have ensured that Orbán's policies are legitimized.
Magyar and his "Tisza" party promise to end these practices. The "Tisza" election platform has a separate chapter dedicated to this issue. It states that Orbán's system despises and does not trust the Roma. "The "Tisza" party thinks differently," the text says. The platform announces that it will transform municipal work programs, end segregation in schools, and provide better housing and healthcare for the Roma.
All this is not new - social liberal Hungarian politicians have been promising similar things for decades. But the intentions of the conservative Peter Magyar are being taken seriously.
Magyar could be among the "great statesmen"
However, some prominent figures from the Hungarian Roma community prefer to wait for now to see whether the change in tone will be followed by action. For example, not a single Roma man or woman found a place among the state secretaries in Magyar's government. Civil rights activist Aladar Horvat points out that the Roma are only partially included in the consultations with the new government. "The question is whether there will be cosmetic changes to the system or a change of the system?", he tells DW.
"A lot depends on Peter Magyar. "If he manages to convince the majority that the Roma are just as Hungarian as all other Hungarians, then he will rank among the great statesmen," the human rights activist emphasizes.
Author: Keno Verzek