With the arrival of a new prime minister, Hungary has launched extensive political and institutional reforms after sixteen years of Viktor Orbán's rule.
With the coming to power of Peter the Magyar, once close to Fidesz, and today its great critic, Hungary entered the period of the greatest political changes in the last sixteen years. The new prime minister has launched sweeping reforms to reshape the political system.
The fight against corruption
Even during the pre-election campaign, the Hungarian pledged to cleanse the country of corruption.
After winning the elections, he launched an anti-corruption campaign and announced investigations into the use of public money during the previous government. He announced the revision of large state contracts and infrastructure projects, among which is the Belgrade-Budapest railway project.
He pressed for the release of documents on the presidential pardon, which could shed light on the affair that rocked the country. Namely, he asked the President of the State, Tamas Šujok, to publish documents related to the presidential pardon of the former deputy director of the children's home in Bičke near Budapest, Andre K, who is connected to the pedophile scandal. The answer came from the presidential cabinet that they will cooperate with the government.
Photo: AP Photo/Petr David JosekThe European Union blocked access to funds to Hungary due to dissatisfaction with Orbán's policies
"Hungarian society has the right to know how the decision to pardon a person who participated in the cover-up of a pedophile crime could have been made," the Hungarian government website says.
The Hungarian repeatedly asked Fidesz officials to resign. President Sujok, one of Orbán's loyalists, succumbed to the pressure and did so yesterday (July 19.7).
A big goal for the Hungarian is the re-establishment of good relations with Brussels, which were damaged mainly because of the corruption scandals of the previous government and human rights issues. Negotiations on the unblocking of several billion euros of European funds, which were frozen in previous years, have been initiated.
Reforms in several areas
One of the points of conflict between the European Union and Orbán's regime was the issue of an independent judiciary. The Hungarian announced reforms in this area, which should increase his independence and make the process of appointing state officials more transparent. Changes in the Constitutional Court and limits on the length of mandate of certain officials were also announced.
The same package of reforms foresees the abolition of the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty, an institution established by Orban's government in 2023. Critics claimed the office was used to pressure the media, NGOs and political opponents.
Photo: AP Photo/Denes ErdosThe Hungarian announced reforms in the judiciary
One of the most ambitious ideas of the Hungarians is to change the constitutional system in order to prevent excessive concentration of power in the hands of one party. In Niamey, the parliament made a decision to limit the duration of the prime minister's mandate to a total of eight years. Yes, this means that Orbán could never be prime minister again, given that he was in power in Hungary for more than 16 years.
The new government also announced the reorganization of public services. According to the proposal, the public service should get a new management structure and stronger mechanisms to preserve independence.
In addition, the possibilities of employing guest workers have been tightened, in order to preserve jobs for its citizens.
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