Budapest, Hungary. Hungary’s election winner Peter Magyar said his cabinet could be sworn in by mid-May and take swift steps to release billions of suspended European Union funding while clashing with allies of his predecessor who remain in place.
Election outcome and transition
Magyar’s TISZA (Respect and Freedom) party won a landslide victory in Sunday’s election, ending right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule that became a prototype for “illiberal” conservative rulers across the western world.
Orban’s international allies, including Moscow and Washington, have pledged to work with Magyar, whose mandate will allow him to change the constitution and roll back Orban’s rule-of-law reforms that led the EU to block funding.
Reform steps and funding deadline
Magyar outlined four key areas where his cabinet could move swiftly to avoid the loss of some 10 billion euros of EU pandemic recovery funding by an end-August deadline.
He cited anti-corruption measures, such as joining the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, restoring and strengthening the independence of the judiciary and investigative authorities, and restoring media and academic freedoms.
Contacts with the European Commission
Magyar referred to a conversation he had with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, saying they had agreed to start informal consultations before the government was formed.
“As they say in Brussels, full stop,” Magyar said.
“I explained it clearly to her as well, and we have made it clear before, that we can only comply with conditions that are good for Hungarian people, good for Hungarian businesses and, in general, for our country,” he said.
It was not immediately clear whether Magyar’s remarks signalled an effort to narrow down the list of conditions ahead of the deadline he has described as “extremely tight”. A European Commission spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Orban’s response
Orban has denied eroding any democratic standards and said his government had aimed to protect Hungary’s “Christian character” against liberal ideas fielded by the European Union.
What do you expect Hungary’s next government to prioritise in talks with the European Union?