Peter Madyar Elected as Hungary's New Prime Minister
On Saturday morning, the new composition of the Hungarian parliament took the oath of office, concluding the term of the "Fidesz"-KDNP government led by Viktor Orban. The deputies took their oaths in front of historical flags.
In the 199-seat parliament, the "Tisa" party holds 141 seats, "Fidesz" has 44, KDNP has 8, and "Our Homeland" has 6.
In the afternoon, during the inaugural session of the National Assembly, Peter Madyar was elected as Prime Minister.
Upon taking the oath, Madyar stated that the people entrusted him with a mandate to open a new chapter in Hungary's history, to change not only the government but also the system. "I will not rule Hungary; I will serve my country," he said.
"But a new beginning is impossible without reconciliation, and reconciliation is impossible without justice," Madyar added.
"In the House of Hungarian Democracy, I call on those state officials who served the previous regime to resign today or no later than May 31," Madyar said, adding that President Tamas Shuyok should do so immediately.
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Breaking a tradition that has been in place for 36 years since the regime change, outgoing Prime Minister Orban did not speak at the inaugural session of the National Assembly and was not even present.
The new Speaker of Parliament is Agnes Forsthoffer, Vice-President of the "Tisa" party. She has already made her first decision: the flag of the European Union was returned to the parliament building after a 12-year hiatus.
Throughout the day, supporters of "Tisa" celebrated the "people's regime change," and Kossuth Square in front of the parliament was filled from early morning.
"By electing Peter Madyar as Prime Minister during the inaugural session, the new parliament broke tradition, - reports Euronews correspondent Rita Konyha. - Previously, there were several days between these two events. The fact that the inaugural session was combined with a public celebration made the ceremonial event a public one."
