Peter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s prime minister on Saturday, marking the end of Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule.
Magyar took the oath of office in parliament after his centre-right Tisza Party secured a landslide victory in last month’s elections, defeating Orban’s far-right Fidesz alliance.
The Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in the 199-seat parliament, giving it enough seats to reverse key policies introduced during Orban’s years in power.
Magyar entered the parliament building alongside his party lawmakers, who now control 141 seats. Orban’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance saw its parliamentary representation fall sharply to 52 seats, while the far-right Our Homeland Movement secured six seats.
President Tamas Sulyok had earlier asked Magyar to form a new government after his Tisza party secured an unprecedented victory in April’s election, the daily Magyar Nemzet reported.
Sulyok said Hungarian voters had “declared their will” and entrusted Tisza with the responsibility of governing the country.
Bringing EU funds back
All 199 lawmakers and 11 minority spokespersons submitted their credentials before members of parliament took their oaths during the session.
Magyar said the new government’s top priorities would be fighting corruption and securing the return of EU funds frozen over rule-of-law and corruption concerns.
“The most important task will be stopping corruption and bringing home EU funds,” he said before the session.
His government is also expected to seek closer ties with the EU after years of tensions under Orban’s leadership.
Lawmakers also elected a new parliamentary speaker during the session, with Tisza nominee Agnes Forsthoffer taking the post.
