Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has named 14 of his 16 Ministers as of April 28, showcasing a combination of policy experts, political figures and former global business leaders. Key new appointments include Bálint Ruff for the Prime Minister’s Office, Judit Lannert for Education and Anita Orbán as both Foreign Minister and Deputy PM. Notably, former Fidesz State Secretary Dávid Vitézy will oversee transport and investments, while a standalone Science and Technology Ministry has been created under Zoltán Tanács. The crucial roles of Interior and Justice Ministers remain vacant ahead of the May 9 parliamentary sitting.
The National Assembly is undergoing a structural overhaul, with the number of parliamentary committees increased from 15 to 20. Following negotiations between TISZA, Fidesz and Our Homeland, it was agreed that each bloc will hold a Deputy Speaker position. In parallel, Fidesz is in a state of turmoil after its defeat, with Viktor Orbán ending his 36-year parliamentary career by declining his seat in parliament. While the party board refused his resignation, a leadership convention is set for June at which Orbán intends to run for party President again. The party, now holding 52 seats, faces a downward trend in polls and a leadership vacuum as several veterans step back from frontline politics.
The incoming government has outlined a number of initial policy proposals, including:
- a tax reform that introduces a more progressive structure to help lower-income earners, specifically by proposing the reduction of the personal income tax (PIT) on the minimum wage.
- reintroducing the popular Itemized Tax for Small Businesses (KATA) system to its original, more flexible form to support entrepreneurs and freelancers by removing the 2022 amendments restricting its availability for entrepreneurs.
- implementing a patient-centered healthcare reform by adopting the most effective transparency and ethical guidelines from the British healthcare system.
- restrict work permits for guest workers.
Following initial talks in Budapest between TISZA representatives and a senior European Commission delegation, a high-level TISZA delegation travelled to Brussels for further discussions. Magyar also met EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on April 29th. This comes after Hungary dropped its objections to a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine and the bloc’s 20th sanctions package against Russia. Aretera expects that the frozen EU funds will be made available to Hungary before the August deadline passes, with technical arrangements already being prepared on both sides.
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