BUDAPEST, Hungary — Following his party’s overwhelming electoral victory, Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar revealed his initial Cabinet selections on Monday after conducting the first meeting with his parliamentary group members.
Magyar’s center-right Tisza party crushed longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s April 12 election, capturing a commanding two-thirds parliamentary majority that will enable them to reverse numerous policies established during Orbán’s 16-year tenure.
The incoming leader has pledged to rebuild Hungary’s democratic foundations and legal framework, which deteriorated during Orbán’s administration, while pursuing accountability for those he claims oversaw and profited from extensive government corruption.
Tisza secured an unprecedented 141 parliamentary seats from the total 199 available — marking the most substantial majority since Hungary transitioned from Communist rule. Orbán’s far-right, anti-European Union Fidesz party saw their representation plummet from 135 seats to just 52.
During Monday’s Budapest press conference, Magyar — who will replace Orbán as prime minister — announced plans to expand the government structure from 12 to 16 ministries.
Among his disclosed Cabinet nominees were Anita Orbán (no family connection to the current prime minister) for foreign affairs minister, István Kapitány for economy and energy minister, and András Kármán for finance minister.
Magyar stated his party would establish a government “that will be worthy of the Hungarian people’s trust.”
The incoming prime minister has committed to extensively restructuring Hungary’s governmental framework, including establishing independent ministries for health, environmental protection, and education — departments that were eliminated under Orbán’s leadership.
According to Magyar, the new parliament will convene for its opening session on May 9 or 10, followed immediately by the prime ministerial election. Cabinet confirmations will proceed in subsequent days, he explained.
