FRANCE PERSPECTIVE

Paris delivers particularly vivid coverage of the day, headlined 'Péter Magyar or democracy dancing.' Future Health Minister Zsolt Hegedus, who became famous on April 12 for his energetic choreography on election night, dances again on Parliament Square. Tens of thousands of supporters wave Hungarian and European flags. Magyar describes himself as 'a 45-year-old pro-European conservative' — a formulation designed to reassure both centre-right voters and progressives disillusioned by Orbán. French correspondents note the symbolic weight of the date: Magyar is sworn in on May 9, Europe Day, and chooses this moment to announce the re-raising of the EU flag — which Orbán had removed over twelve years ago. Paris sees in this transition the validation of the Europeanist thesis: EU integration remains the most powerful political compass in Central Europe, even after years of illiberalism.