BUDAPEST, Hungary — Fresh off a defining electoral upset that ended 16 years of populist rule in Hungary, prime minister-in-waiting Péter Magyar has released the first slate of cabinet nominees for his incoming administration, marking the first formal step toward building his new government following an opening meeting of his party’s parliamentary bloc.
Magyar and his center-right Tisza party secured a historic landslide victory on April 12, ousting long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and capturing a supermajority two-thirds of seats in Hungary’s national parliament. The lopsided win grants Tisza the legislative power to roll back decades of controversial policies enacted by Orbán’s administration. Out of the 199 total parliamentary seats, Tisza walked away with 141 — the largest governing majority Hungary has seen since the end of Communist rule. Orbán’s far-right, euroskeptic Fidesz party, which held 135 seats before the vote, will now hold just 52 seats in the new legislature.
Since his victory, Magyar has campaigned on a platform of systemic overhaul, promising to restore democratic institutions and the rule of law, which critics argue eroded significantly during Orbán’s tenure. He has also pledged to launch accountability investigations into figures he accuses of overseeing and profiting from the widespread public corruption that flourished under the previous government.
Speaking at a press briefing in Budapest on Monday, Magyar laid out plans to restructure the national government, expanding the number of cabinet ministries from the current 12 to 16. Under his plan, separate portfolios for health, environmental protection, and education — which were merged into larger departments under Orbán’s administration — will be reestablished as standalone ministries.
Among the first nominees announced, Magyar named Anita Orbán (no relation to outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán) as his pick for foreign minister, István Kapitány for the role of economy and energy minister, and András Kármán to lead the finance portfolio. Magyar emphasized that his administration will work every day to honor the mandate Hungarian voters gave the party, saying it will be “a government that will be worthy of the Hungarian people’s trust.”
The incoming prime minister confirmed that the inaugural session of the new parliament will convene on either May 9 or 10. Immediately following the opening session, the legislature will vote to confirm the new prime minister, with full confirmation of all cabinet appointments expected in the days after that vote.