The future Prime Minister of Hungary, Peter Magyar, has a remarkable talent for turning situations to his advantage, often with small but highly impactful gestures.
This is a skill that no other politician has displayed to such an extent in the country’s recent history and that undoubtedly played a major role in his Tisza party’s historic election victory on 12 April.
An incident that illustrated this talent – and later went viral in Hungary – occurred at a campaign event in a small town in the south of the country in early April.
As journalists from a pro-Kremlin Moscow newspaper glared at him, Magyar said: “I welcome the Russian propaganda media. Enjoy freedom – and regime change!”
The crowd applauded and chanted “Russians, go home!” Responded with slogans of.
It was a reaction to revelations that former Prime Minister Viktor Orban was trying to ingratiate himself with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call last fall.
According to media reports, Orbán reportedly promised to support Putin “in every respect” in an almost polite manner.
a new beginning
So, it should come as no surprise that when Hungary’s new parliament convenes on Saturday, and 45-year-old Peter Magyar and his ministers take the oath of office, things will be done differently.
The incoming Prime Minister has declared that day a “system change holiday”.
It has been announced that at the handover of power, not only the Hungarian national anthem will be played, but also the European anthem, the anthem of the Hungarian minority Székelys in Romania’s Transylvania region, and the unofficial anthem of Hungary’s Roma community.
Playing this final anthem in particular is an unprecedented sign of respect for the approximately 700,000 Roma community in Hungary.
The EU flag will also be flown over the Hungarian Parliament for the first time in 12 years.
Magyar will then deliver his first speech as Prime Minister in the square outside Parliament.
Who is in the closet?
Anita Orbán (no relation to the outgoing Prime Minister) has been selected for the post of Foreign Minister. She is a diplomat and energy expert who once belonged to the pro-European, Euro-Atlantic wing of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party – a wing that no longer exists.
In 2008, he issued a warning about Russia’s imperialist energy policy in an English-language book that attracted considerable international attention.
Hungary’s next minister for the economy will be Istvan Kapitány, a former senior Shell executive, and its next defense minister will be Romulus Ruszyn-Szendi, a former chief of staff whom Orban’s government branded an enemy for his ultra-Ukrainian stance.
The incoming Health Minister, Zsolt Hegedus, worked as an orthopedic surgeon in the UK from 2005 to 2015. A video of Hegedus busting out some antics on stage at his party’s election victory celebration was seen around the world.
Magyar’s Cabinet will also include the country’s first blind minister: Vilmos Katai-Németh will hold the Department of Social and Family Affairs. He lost his eyesight at the age of 16, qualified as a lawyer and also holds a second degree black belt in Aikido.
Nominated minister removed
But even before the swearing in, the cabinet is off to a rocky start.
On Thursday evening, Magyar’s choice for Justice Ministry, Marton Melethey-Barna, withdrew his name.
The nomination of Melethi-Barna, who studied with Magyar and is his brother-in-law, was widely criticized. Writing on Facebook, Melethi-Barna said he was withdrawing because he did not want “even the smallest shadow to fall on the system change.”
Magyar instead nominated Marta Gorog, dean of the law faculty at the University of Szeged, whom he described as “the uncrowned queen of Hungarian jurists.”
domestic policy priorities
As head of government, Magyar has two broad priorities. Domestically, his administration must dismantle the system that was designed to support Viktor Orbán and restore the rule of law.
Magyar has said that one of his first steps will be to establish an anti-corruption authority and an authority for asset recovery. The latter will be tasked with reclaiming state funds and contracts that were improperly awarded to Orbán loyalists.
Magyar has also announced plans to shut down pro-Orbán state media and replace it with a new, independent public broadcasting system.
Get rid of ‘Orban’s puppets’
Only time will tell whether the new government will succeed in removing what Magyar calls “Orban’s puppets.”
Despite the Tisza party’s two-thirds majority in parliament, this may prove to be a difficult endeavor, especially when Magyars count President Tamás Süleok, the Attorney General, and several senior members of the judiciary among these “puppets.”
If President Suliok chooses not to step down, he could significantly delay reforms.
international priorities
On the international front, Magyar has stated that he intends to make Hungary once again a reliable partner within the EU and NATO, improve relations with neighboring countries in Central and Eastern Europe (especially Poland), and ensure the release of frozen EU funds for Hungary.
The latter is important for Hungary, which is in the midst of an economic and financial crisis that is more severe than before. Driven by Viktor Orbán’s expansive spending policies, Hungary’s budget deficit is now approaching the 6% mark.
Strict stance on Ukraine
There is one particular area of foreign policy that could become a litmus test for the new government’s democratic principles and populism: Ukraine.
Magyar recently invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to a “historic meeting” in the small Ukrainian town of Berekhov (Beregszcz), which has a majority ethnic Hungarian population.
It is highly unusual for a head of government to invite himself to another country and even choose where he wants to meet his counterpart.
But Peter Magyar went a step further: he said Hungary would only support Ukraine’s accession to the EU if its neighbor stopped treating its Hungarian minority as second-class citizens – a charge simply not true.
What was most notable about this statement was that the Magyars made this statement shortly after meeting with the mayor of Berekhov, Zoltán Babjak, who had previously assured the incoming Prime Minister that ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine do not face any discrimination.
This article was originally published in German and adapted and updated by Angiel Flanagan.