Peter Magyar, leader of the pro-European centre-right Tisza party, has been sworn in as prime minister of Hungary, marking the official end of Viktor Orban’s 16 years in power.
The investiture of Parliament
The Budapest Parliament elected him during the inaugural session of the new legislature, born from the April elections won by a wide margin by his Tisza party. Magyar obtained 140 votes in favour, against 54 against and one abstention. In his first speech before the National Assembly, the new prime minister promised to lead the country with a different style than in the past. “I will not reign over Hungary, but I will serve my country. I will serve it as long as my commitment is useful and as long as the nation needs it,” Magyar declared, adding that “millions of people have chosen change” after his predecessor’s years of government. Meanwhile, the EU flag was once again hoisted on the facade of the Hungarian Parliament for the first time since Viktor Orban’s government removed it in 2014.
Last week Magyar was in Brussels, where he had had informal meetings with the leaders of the European Union in the hope of obtaining an initial green light for the release of resources by the end of May. Although the European institutions have welcomed the return of an interlocutor intent on re-establishing constructive relations with Brussels, they are likely to wait for the concrete adoption of the reforms before releasing the funding. Commitments already announced include Hungary’s membership of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, strengthening the fight against corruption and guarantees for the independence of the judiciary and the media. To implement this program, Magyar will be able to count on a very large qualified majority: his Tisza party has 141 seats out of 199 in the Hungarian Parliament. The new prime minister also announced his intention to remove from the institutions “all puppets appointed by the Orban system in key positions”, including the attorney general and the president of the Constitutional Court.
