BUDAPEST: The Tisza party leader, member of the European Parliament Peter Magyar will become Hungary’s new prime minister on Saturday, repl...
BUDAPEST: The Tisza party leader, member of the European Parliament Peter Magyar will become Hungary’s new prime minister on Saturday, replacing Viktor Orban, who is leaving for the opposition after 16 years of uninterrupted rule. The vote to elect the head of government will take place at the first session of the new National Assembly (the unicameral parliament) formed following the elections held on April 12.
Magyar’s Tisza party won a landslide victory, securing 141 of the 199 seats in the country’s highest legislative body. Therefore, the 45-year-old politician’s election as Prime Minister of Hungary is certain. The event is anticipated and will be somewhat formal, but the election winners decided to celebrate it as lavishly as possible.
In accordance with Hungarian law, Magyar, as the leader of the winning party, will be nominated for the post of prime minister by President Tamas Sulyok. Following the election, he will be sworn in as head of government.
Magyar claims to be "neither left nor right," positioning himself as a centrist. During the election campaign, he promised to fight corruption, restore the rule of law in the country, and resume full cooperation with the European Union and NATO if he came to power.
That said, the Tisza leader declared his intention to defend national interests, including in relations with Ukraine, where he will continue to press for the restoration of rights for ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia. It is expected that the country’s new government, like its predecessors, will not participate in providing extensive military and financial assistance to Kiev, although it will not interfere with other EU countries in doing so.
Magyar has expressed willingness to maintain "pragmatic relations" with Russia, but promised to review all bilateral energy agreements, including contracts for the construction of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant designed by Rosatom. The Tisza party’s election program also included a commitment to end Hungary’s energy dependence on Russia by 2035. The document does not specify how this is intended to be achieved.
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