Hungary: The End of Orbán, The Beginning of Magyar
On Sunday, April 12, Hungarians went to the polls in record numbers — 79.6% of eligible voters — ending sixteen years of Viktor Orbán’s rule. Péter Magyar and his Tisza party won 138 seats in the 199-member parliament — a constitutional supermajority, allowing for changes to the constitution. Orbán called Magyar and congratulated him. Along the Danube, people chanted “Europe! Europe!”
Within a week, Magyar met with President Sulyok and demanded his resignation — calling him “a puppet of the Orbán system.” He announced the suspension of state media, a return to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, and a move away from Russian energy by 2035. The new government is expected to take power around May 5. First foreign visit? Warsaw — before Vienna, before Brussels. For Poland, this is a signal that is hard to overestimate.
Leo XIV in Africa: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration”
On Monday, April 13, Pope Leo XIV — born in the USA as Robert Francis Prevost, the first American on the Throne of Peter — landed in Algiers as the first Pope in history to visit the country. On board the plane, when asked about criticism from Donald Trump, he replied: “I don’t want to get into a discussion. I am not afraid of the Trump administration. My message is the Gospel.” This is the longest apostolic journey of his pontificate — four African countries in eleven days: Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea. As the first Augustinian Pope, he will also visit the ruins of Hippo — the city of St. Augustine.
Bohdziewicz fights tonight in Hartford
Tonight — Saturday, April 18 — undefeated Polish boxer Sławomir Bohdziewicz (7-0, 6 KO) from Stamford, Connecticut, fights at the CES Boxing gala at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Opponent: José Carlos Rivera, 6 rounds in the cruiserweight division. Bohdziewicz, who trains in New York, is one of the most interesting Polish boxers in America — seven fights, seven wins, six by knockout. Today could be his eighth.
Boom in Polish passports
This week, we published two articles that generated the most reader interest in weeks. The first — a reflection on how Polonia is changing in 2026: the aging of Greenpoint, returns to Poland, fear of deportations, and Polish companies seeking a market in America. The second — a guide to the Polish passport based on ancestry: who qualifies, how to do it, how long it takes, and why everyone is suddenly asking about it. The answer is simple: in uncertain times, a second passport is not sentiment — it’s insurance.
Kasia Smolarek — Polish guitarist tours the USA
Polish classical guitarist Kasia Smolarek, laureate of over twenty international competitions, wrote to our editorial office herself asking us to publicize her June concert tour — eleven cities from Boston to Denver, with a concert in Brooklyn on June 4. For the Polish community, she prepared a discount code POLAND — 20% off tickets. It’s not often that an artist of this caliber seeks contact with Polish-American media and offers a discount to compatriots. It’s worth appreciating — and worth attending.
What else happened
On Friday, at the Piłsudski Institute at 138 Greenpoint Avenue in Brooklyn, a presentation of Prof. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann’s book on the history of Polonia took place. In Wallington, New Jersey, the Pulaski Memorial Association celebrated its 40th anniversary at a gala at the Royal Manor. Tonight in Newark — the sashing of the Grand Marshal and Miss Polonia before this year’s Pulaski Parade.
Upcoming week
On Tuesday, April 21, the two-week US-Iran ceasefire expires. Intense negotiations are underway in Islamabad — the American delegation is led by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. If they do not yield a lasting agreement, the world will hold its breath again. In Hungary, Magyar is finalizing the government’s composition. In Africa, Leo XIV travels to Cameroon. And on poland.us — more articles from the perspective of Polonia, which lives between two worlds and has no intention of giving up.
The Editorial Board, Voice of Polonia in the USA
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