First Meeting of the New Hungarian Government

Following the presentation of letters of credence on May 12 and the ceremonial swearing-in ceremony held at the Parliament Building, the new TISZA government was officially formed at midnight on the 13th. This is the fastest government formation since the regime change of 1989-90: just one month after the historic election victory on April 12, the new cabinet was already at work, holding its first session in the National Historical Memorial Park in Ópusztaszer.

True to the promise he made during the election campaign, Prime Minister Péter Magyar is not summoning government members to the Karmelita Palace, the venue for previous cabinet meetings, but instead to Ópusztaszer in Csongrád-Csanád County, located in the eastern part of the Homokhátság [‘Sand ridge’] region, which has been severely affected by the drought.

A government statement points out that the choice of location, the National Historical Memorial Park in Ópusztaszer is symbolic, as it not only defines the new government’s policy priorities and its relationship with the Hungarian people, but also holds historical and national significance.

Ópusztaszer is one of the most important symbolic sites in Hungarian historical memory. According to tradition, it was here that Prince Árpád and the leaders of the conquering Hungarian tribes held their first great assembly after taking possession of the Carpathian Basin. The national memory has preserved this event as one of the starting points for the founding of the Hungarian state and social order.

Although historians, based on medieval sources, take a more nuanced view of the specific details of the event, Ópusztaszer’s historical and cultural significance is indisputable: for centuries, the site has been a symbol of national unity, self-determination, and the tradition of state-building.

"At its first meeting, the new TISZA government discussed important agenda items, including child protection, drought protection, the recovery of public assets stolen under the Orbán governments, hospital infections, the disclosure of secret police files, and the repatriation of funds frozen by the European Union," the new government states on its website.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar said at the government session that the handover of government will take place at 3pm on Thursday, when all ministers of the outgoing and incoming governments will meet.

He added that parliament would not be in session next week, but the government would meet on Monday and Friday. In the three days in between, he will pay an official visit to Poland and then to Austria.