Parliament Elects Péter Magyar as Hungary's Prime Minister

Hungary's parliament on Saturday elected Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, as prime minister during its inaugural session. Magyar, the leader of the victorious Tisza Party, was elected with 140 votes in favour, 54 against and one abstention.

He took the oath of office and signed the related documents, then received the congratulations of President Tamás Sulyok, the group leaders of the parliamentary parties and Gergely Gallai, the representative of the German minorities in Hungary.

In his inaugural speech, Prime Minister Péter Magyar declared that the Tisza government will govern for all Hungarians and work in the interest of every citizen. He vowed to ensure that "all Hungarians are true citizens of this country - not just the rich, the powerful or the politically loyal."

He said the gravest sin of the past years had been "turning Hungarians against each other". "By cynically stoking fear, this politics has poisoned the soul of an entire nation," he said.

That era has ended for good on April 12, he said, calling for the "enormous task of reuniting the nation to begin now."

He asked Hungarians to keep a close watch on politicians, "hold them to their promises and engage in debate with them." He pledged "to rebuild the state, restore trust, fix public services, ensure fair competition, strengthen national unity and renew hope step by step and brick by brick."