On Friday, April 17, at 11 am PT, the Pacific Council is hosting a rapid-response webinar to examine the results of Hungary's recent parliamentary elections, held on April 12. The results signaled a watershed moment, ending Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule and bringing Péter Magyar and the Tisza party to power with a constitutional supermajority. 

Magyar's victory indicates a political shift in a country long viewed as a test case of democratic backsliding within the European Union. Marked by high turnout and a decisive mandate for institutional reform, the election results signal a potential reorientation toward the rule of law, media freedom, and closer alignment with Brussels.

Members will hear from Benjamin Novak, Journalist & Co-Founder of the Budapest Beacon, David J. Kostelancik, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and Ambassador (ret.) Kristina A. Kvien, President & CEO of the Pacific Council. 

Why it's important:

• Voter frustration with corruption, economic stagnation, and governance failures played a decisive role in mobilizing support for Péter Magyar.
• Magyar has called on President Tamás Sulyok to resign, signaling an effort to dismantle entrenched political influence from the previous government. 
• Russian officials have sought to minimize the significance of Orbán's defeat, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov distancing Moscow from Orbán and framing Hungary as just another “unfriendly” country.

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.

Guest Speaker 

Benjamin Novak is an American journalist and researcher specializing in Central and Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on Hungary's political landscape. He reported from Budapest for The New York Times beginning in 2018, after covering Hungarian affairs since 2013. His reporting has examined issues such as democratic backsliding, media freedom, and the consolidation of power under Viktor Orbán, bringing international attention to developments within Hungary and their implications for the European Union.

In addition to his journalism, Novak is a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a research affiliate at the CEU Democracy Institute. He is also a co-founder of The Budapest Beacon, an English-language news outlet focused on Hungarian politics and society. His work bridges academic research and on-the-ground reporting, offering a nuanced analysis of democratic institutions and political change in the region.

Guest Speaker 

David J. Kostelancik is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

He was a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, holding the rank of Minister-Counselor. David served as deputy coordinator for terrorism prevention and detention in the State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism from 2024 to 2025. From 2021 to 2023, he was foreign policy adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kostelancik spent 20 years in overseas postings, including as deputy chief of mission and chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Hungary. He also served at US embassies in Russia (twice), Albania, and Turkey, as well as at the US missions to NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. His Washington assignments included director of the Office of South Central European Affairs, director of the Office of Russian Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and director of the Office of Europe and Asia in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. President Biden nominated Kostelancik to serve as US ambassador to Albania, a nomination unanimously endorsed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and political science from Northwestern University, a master's degree in Russian and East European studies from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Science degree in national security strategy from the National War College. His honors include multiple State Department awards, the Defense Department's Senior Civilian Medal, and Slovakia's Distinguished Service Medal of Honor.

Kostelancik and his wife have three adult sons. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan.

Moderator 

Ambassador (ret.) Kristina Kvien assumed the role of President and CEO of Pacific Council in March, 2026.

Previously, she spent over three decades as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State.  She retired as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor. From 2023-2026, she served as the tenth U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia.  From 2019-2022, she served as the Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy Ukraine, leading the evacuation of the Embassy shortly before Russia’s further invasion in 2022 and return to the Embassy in May 2022. For her work in Ukraine, Ambassador Kvien received the Ryan C. Crocker Award for Outstanding Leadership in Expeditionary Diplomacy.

Ambassador Kvien has dedicated her career to deepening U.S. relations with Europe and Southeast Asia.  She served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs at U.S. Embassy Paris; Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Bangkok; Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy London; and Director for European Union, Ukraine, and Belarus Affairs at the National Security Council in the Executive Office of the President. Ambassador Kvien earlier served at U.S. Embassy Moscow; the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels; U.S. Embassy Manila; and Washington DC, where she worked on European Union issues and bilateral relations with Slovenia.

Ambassador Kvien was born and raised in California, with a BA in Political Science from Occidental College and an MS in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.  Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she worked in the Sales Presentation Department at the Los Angeles Times.

 

To register for this webinar, visit the Zoom Registration Page.