Hungary’s Parliament has elected Anna Unger Róza as president of the country’s newly established National Asset Protection and Asset Recovery Office (NVVH) in a secret ballot.
Unger received 137 votes in favour, seven against and one abstention in Friday’s parliamentary vote. At the same time, MPs voted on the institution’s investigative deputy president. Katalin Tasnádi was elected with 139 votes in favour, six against and one abstention.
The votes mark a major step in the establishment of the new body, which is intended to play a key role in recovering and protecting public assets.
Unger and Tasnádi take their oaths
Following their election, Unger and Tasnádi both took their official oaths in Parliament.
Tasnádi briefly stumbled while repeating one of the particularly lengthy sections of the oath, which refers to the position of investigative deputy president of the National Asset Protection and Asset Recovery Office. Unger was seen smiling in the background, but Tasnádi subsequently completed the oath without further difficulty.
The two newly elected officials then signed their oath documents.
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Government figures congratulate the new leaders
Prime Minister Péter Magyar congratulated Unger and Tasnádi following their election, followed by Andrea Bujdosó, parliamentary group leader of the Tisza Party.
Most Fidesz and KDNP MPs were not present in the chamber at the time of the congratulations. Some representatives of the Mi Hazánk party were also absent, although István Apáti, a Mi Hazánk MP, congratulated the newly elected office holders.
The establishment of the NVVH has been one of the new government’s key institutional projects, with Magyar previously promising that it would have broad powers and a multi-member leadership structure.
The new office is expected to begin operating from the former Supreme Court building on Markó Street in Budapest, where it will initially use vacant offices after the Supreme Court moves to its renovated historic headquarters opposite Parliament.
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