The Anatomy of a Revolution
From Iran to Hungary: two regime reckonings, one goal, different styles.
A personal essay from our guest contributor Rouzy Vafaie who appears to be the H2H Forrest Gump…
BUDAPEST (H2H)—I was in Iran during the January uprising. At first, it was shop owners shuttering because of hyper-inflation and the increasingly rapid weakening of the currency. Then came the power of the people of Iran to stand up against the tyrannical rule of the Ayatollah.
Then came the ruthless killing machine of the Islamic Republic. A mix of hardline Islamic militia, Iraqi and Palestinian proxy forces unleashed something the world has probably never seen. Forty thousand civilians slaughtered in a few hours, and possibly over one hundred thousand imprisoned and waiting to be executed.
With the internet shut off, no one could hear their screams and videos. Blood-stained shutters and streets from automatic weapons; some even used for anti-armor penetration.
Then, a few weeks later, on the morning of February 28, 2026, explosions rocked the capital, Tehran. Plumes of smoke from south to north and east to west. Then came the rumors: the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, who for nearly four decades raped, murdered, and stole from Iran, was dead.
In Iran, rumors tend to be true, and therefore “war party” invites started spreading. I’ve experienced “hurricane parties” before, but never a “war party.” So I hosted one as well.
And in the early hours of that evening, the state broadcasting company confirmed the news. And my apartment and street erupted in jubilation. My friends hugged, and tears of joy flowed from their faces, while others sat still, absolutely shocked. A neighbor stuck her head out of her window and asked: is it true, is he really dead? I replied with a joyous YES! Other neighbors went on rooftops shouting “death to the dictator” and “long live the king.”
The shouts continued for a few days, until the authorities shut the internet down, and the armed militias patrolled streets in tandems, firing at unsuspecting civilians that dared voice opposition.
Fast forward to April 12, and I am in Budapest, Hungary on Election Day. Walking around parliament during the day, there was energy in the air because Peter Magyar, the opposition leader to Viktor Orban’s ruling party, was winning in the polls by a wide margin.
As the day progressed, people were talking about how there might be a historic turnout. In some places, that worried people because they thought Orban had pulled something deceitful off, because there were rumors the Russians had sent “agents” to help Orban.
Others were still very positive and organized raves started filling in various parts of the capital.
As the polls closed at 7pm, the news announced record turnout of 78 percent, which would be a record, and the rumors were that Peter Magyar might have squeaked out a victory.
The sun set and at Parliament Square, where another massive rave was happening, the news broke: Peter Magyar had in fact won. Not only did he win, but his party won a two-thirds supermajority; able to change the country’s constitution.
The raves blasted through the city throughout the night, loud enough to give me a ringing sound in my ears the next day.
Music, people jubilant, cars honking, people crying out of joy that the “dictator of Europe,” who had held Hungary back for nearly two decades, was gone. I felt like I was in Iran again, minus the armed militia shooting at people. Not dead like the Ayatollah, but dead at the ballot box.
The results of the Hungarian election on April 12, 2026, were nothing short of a revolution; but without the violence.
There were rumors of Russian agents performing some sort of sabotage, or that the now-defeated Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, would pull off a “Trump” and claim voter fraud, but those rumors were laid to rest.
In Budapest, the vibe and energy was nothing short of electric. A rave on one side of the city, near the beautiful castle, with Peter Magyar supporters. And a rave on the other side of the river, in front of the country’s Parliament, with what was supposed to be Viktor Orban’s rave. Instead, it became an anti-Orban rave, with people dancing and drinking.
A notable scene was people waving the Hungarian flag with the middle cut out. I asked someone what that meant, and he said it’s a reference to 1956, where for twelve days, the Hungarian people revolted against Soviet occupation.
Viktor Orban is famously close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, often blocking any EU opposition to Russia and any support for Ukraine.
Which means the immediate result of Orban’s loss will be a re-engagement between Budapest and Brussels, and the removal of EU sanctions against Hungary.
And this vote might not have been for Peter Magyar as much as a decisive vote against the incumbent.
So the question now is, where does Hungary go from here? As far as the mood in Budapest goes, optimism is everywhere. And people are curious where Orban, and his friends that were enriched by his sixteen-year tenure will go?
For the Hungarian people, their new forty-five-year-old Prime Minister will be a relief, and perhaps a re-birth. What Peter the Hungarian will probably do is fall into the EU camp.
What this also means on the wider global picture is a further dent to Russia’s influence. When President Trump took out the Venezuelan dictator, that was one blow. Now with Viktor Orban gone, that’s another blow. And if the Islamic Republic in Iran falls, it will be yet another blow.
The next Monday, people woke up, had internet, were still in shock, and woke up in a freer country. A stark contrast to the thousands that never woke up in Iran, and to the millions that hope for freedom in their country.
President Ronald Reagan famously said, “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
In 1979, the Iranian people experienced that. And maybe in 2026, they will regain that through lost generations and blood.
But in 2026, Hungary showed the world democracy, in fact, still works, even when a wannabe dictator cheats his way to consecutive elections.
Viva la liberté!