New Hungarian PM Magyar makes first political move, urges president to quit
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar (photo: Getty Images)
Newly appointed Prime Minister of Hungary Péter Magyar has called on the country's president to resign. The statement came during the very first session of the new parliament, according to Bloomberg.
Péter Magyar has taken the oath of office as the Prime Minister of Hungary during today's parliamentary session. However, just minutes into his speech, he urged President Tamás Sulyok to have "courage" and step down, saying the president had failed to speak out against the previous government's mistakes.
The Hungarian prime minister said those mistakes ranged from the erosion of democracy to the mistreatment of children in state-run orphanages.
"It's time to leave with some dignity, while it's possible," Magyar said, setting May 31 as the deadline for resignation.
Background
Earlier, in April, Hungary's Tisza Party won a decisive election victory, promising not only to oust Prime Minister Viktor Orbán but also to dismantle his political system. As a result, the party secured more than a two-thirds majority in parliament, enough to amend the constitution and remove Orbán's allies from power.
On May 9, the newly elected Hungarian parliament held its first session, during which lawmakers voted by majority to appoint Péter Magyar as prime minister.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already congratulated him on his appointment, saying Ukraine is ready to develop cooperation with Hungary.
