Tragedy: 57-year-old Hungarian politician, a fighter for all Hungarians died unexpectedly
Árpád János Potápi, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad, has died unexpectedly at the age of 57.
Potápi died unexpectedly, Hungary’s leaders shocked
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán bade farewell to Potápi on Facebook, saying: “Árpád Potápi fought for all Hungarians and now he’s gone to rest. God bless you my friend! I will miss you!”
Deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjén and Fidesz group leader Máté Kocsis also bade farewell to Potápi.
Potápi was born in Bonyhád in 1967, he acquired a primary school teaching degree at Juhász Gyula College in Szeged in 1991, and graduated from Budapest’s Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in history in 1994, the government website kormany.hu said.
He got involved in politics in 1993, becoming a lawmaker in 1998 and a ruling Fidesz deputy parliamentary group leader between 2011 and 2014. Since 2014, he was state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad.
Political and civil organisations from Transyalvania also bade farewell to Potápi on Facebook.
Transylvanian Hungarians also say farewell
Hunor Kelemen, the leader of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) said Potápi had been “an old friend” who “shaped policies for Hungarian communities abroad actively and persistently over the past decade and a half”.
The Hungarian Alliance of Transylvania (EMSZ) said Potápi had served the nation’s common goals and “Transylvanian Hungarians could always rely on him under any circumstances”.
The Transylvanian Hungarian Public Culture Association (EMKE) said Potápi had considered support for the ethnic Hungarian civil organisations in the Carpathian Basin not only a job but his vocation.
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