[Portrait] The Hungarian government Orban V marked by a certain continuity. A new defense minister

(B2) The new Hungarian government inaugurated on Tuesday (May 24) is characterized by a certain continuity. And a troubling lack of parity. Only one woman.

• The elections of April 3, 2022 gave an absolute majority to Fidesz and its allies (135 seats out of 199), the party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The latter was therefore elected, without delay, by parliament on Monday (May 16).
• Note the appearance of a newcomer, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczkyà at Defense. The three other major ministries (Foreign Affairs, Interior, Justice) remain with their previous holders.
• Tibor Navracics, former European Commissioner and former Minister of Justice, will be responsible for Regional Development and European Funds. A tailor-made position to allow Budapest to maintain a direct link with Brussels.

Defense: Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky (Ind. close to Fidesz)

Born June 6, 1970, graduated from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Gödöllő, Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky is a businessman, close to Hungarian power, with links to the military and Russian industries. But he does not disdain official positions. He was ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2020. Financier, consultant, media man, ambassador, etc., close to Viktor Orbán, this indirect descendant of an old Hungarian noble family, knew how to lead a career as an investor in the regime, as well as a diplomat. An all-powerful shadow man. Read his portrait, to follow: Who is KSB, the strange new Hungarian Defense Minister? Conclusion Twitter

Foreign Affairs & Trade: Péter Szijjártó (Fidesz)

Close to Viktor Orbán, supporter of a policy of appeasement with Russia

Born on October 30, 1978 in Komárom, near the Slovak border, Péter Szijjártó followed a path quite similar to the one he replaced when arriving in the government, Tibor Navracsics, who became European Commissioner in 2014.

An economist with a degree in international relations from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences (in 2002), he joined the Fidesz, the government party from the age of 20, in 1998. He was elected the same year to the municipal council of the city of Györ (renewed in 2006 and 2010).

Elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 2002, and subsequently re-elected without interruption (2006, 2010 and 2014). Péter Szijjártó will be deputy head of the group and chairs the parliamentary budget committee. In 2005, he took the helm of Fidelitas, the youth organization of Fidesz, a position in which he remained until 2009. In 2006, he became the director of communications and spokesperson for Fidesz between 2006 and 2010, before becoming chief of staff of the president of the party, Viktor Orbán, from 2009 to 2010. He held the same function as spokesperson for Viktor Orbán, when he became prime minister (June 2010 to June 2012), in charge of the press and international affairs cabinet . Period which includes the Hungarian presidency of the European Union.

In June 2012, Péter Szijjártó was appointed State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, attached to the Prime Minister's Office, and Government Commissioner for Relations with Russia and China (from March 2013), Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in June 2014, he officially took charge of the ministry on September 23, 2014, when Tibor Navracsics was appointed to the European Commission. He is reappointed to his post in the Orban IV (2018-2022) and Orban V (2022-...) governments.

Interior: Sándor Pintér (Independent)

The longest-serving Minister of the Interior in Europe.

Born on July 3, 1948, member of the circle of septuagenarians in European politics, he has extensive experience in the Interior.

A graduate of law and the Budapest Police Academy, Sándor Pintér began his career as a detective in 1972 in the capital, then became head of the criminal investigation department of the Buda division, then Superintendent. He continued his career in the police in the 80s, until he was appointed police commissioner for Budapest and national police commissioner in 1991.

In 1998, he entered politics as Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Viktor Orbán I. When it ended, he became head of the private security company Preventive-Security. When Viktor Orbán returned to power in 2010, he followed him and resumed his position. Position that he keeps after each election in each of his governments: Orban II, Orban III, Orban IV (2018-2022) and Orban V (2022-...).

Justice: Judit Varga (Fidesz)

Born on September 10, 1980 in Miskolc, graduated in law from the University of Miskolc in 2004, Judit Varga began her career in 2006 in a law firm in Budapest. In 2009, as soon as she registered with the bar, she moved into politics.

She will thus be a parliamentary assistant (political) in the European Parliament successively for János Áder from 2009 to 2012, founding member of Fidesz and president of the republic for ten years (2012-2022), and Erik Bánki (FIDESZ), his successor from 2012 to 2014, then György Hölvényi (KDNP) from 2014 to 2018.

She was appointed Secretary of State for European Relations in the Orbán IV government in July 2018, then on July 12, 2019, Minister of Justice, replacing László Trócsányi, elected to the European Parliament and who failed to become European Commissioner. Proposed by Budapest, Judit Varga's candidacy for the post of European Commissioner was rejected in the fall of 2019 by the European Parliament, officially for conflict of interest - in fact also to make an example for the Orban government (read: Trocsanyi and Plumb ejected. 'Incapable of occupying the post of European commissioner' says European Parliament).

A fierce defender of Hungary in the face of attacks on the rule of law, she did not hold back from criticizing this “ Brussels [which] abuses its power » (February 2022) or « these European Union laws [which] seriously undermine legal certainty » (March 2021), after the adoption of the principle of conditionality of respect for the rule of law in the multiannual budgetary framework (MFF) via a tweet.

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

The other ministers

• Zsolt Semjén (KDNP), Deputy Prime Minister, responsible for nationality policy, churches and church diplomacy.
• István Nagy (Fidesz), Minister of Agriculture;
• János Lázár (Fidesz), Minister of Construction and Investment;
• János Csák (Ind.), Minister of Culture and Innovation;
• Antal Rogán (Fidesz), head of the Prime Minister's office;
• Gergely Gulyás (Fidesz), head of the Prime Minister's office;
• Mihály Varga (Fidesz), Minister of Finance;
• László Palkovics (Ind.), Minister of Technology and Industry;
• Márton Nagy (Fidesz), Minister of Economic Development;
• Tibor Navracsics (Fidesz), Minister of Regional Development and Use of EU Funds.