Péter Magyar has been elected the new Prime Minister of Hungary. The 45-year-old was chosen this Saturday during the constituent session of the National Assembly in Budapest.
Magyar, who leads the Tisza Party, secured an absolute majority of approximately 53 percent in the parliamentary election held on April 12th. Due to Hungary’s electoral system, the party also possesses a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The Tisza Party is described as a center-right group, but it is notably positioned as being much more friendly toward European integration than the Fidesz party led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Orbán deviated from tradition by skipping an farewell address in parliament this Saturday, and he also did not participate in the vote for his successor.
In contrast, Magyar often referenced his predecessor during his initial address to the parliament. He criticized the office of Prime Minister, warning that it could be used to serve power rather than the nation itself. He stated, “I have observed how the office of the Prime Minister can be placed in the service of power instead of the nation. I have watched how power can slowly capture a person, how a politician gradually becomes the prisoner of their own system, and how a political community can lose contact with those people”. Magyar concluded by asserting that these issues have caused Hungary to become the most corrupt member state of the European Union.
