As Hungary’s Péter Magyar took office, ousting Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power, the daylong event on Saturday was laced with symbolism, from the return of the EU flag to parliament to the ringing out of the European anthem, Ode to Joy.

But it was the 56-year-old tipped to be the new health minister – and more specifically, his dance moves – that may have become the most potent symbol of Hungary’s new political era.

In the lead up to Saturday’s inauguration, as Magyar and his Tisza party prepared to be sworn in, Zsolt Hegedűs’s phone began buzzing.

Many of the messages were from people wanting to know the same thing, said Hegedűs, an internationally recognised orthopaedic surgeon who spent more than 10 years working for the NHS in the UK.

“There were tons of messages saying ‘Dr. Hegedűs, you’re going to get this celebration started, aren’t you?’ or ‘There’s going to be dancing?’” Hegedűs told the Guardian.