Hungary is preparing to abolish lifetime benefits for former presidents who fail to complete their terms, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced in Parliament on Monday. The government will also scrap a controversial fund that allows former heads of state to distribute tens of millions of forints to charities and foundations every year.
Speaking before the agenda at Monday’s parliamentary session, Magyar said the government would soon submit legislation to ensure that presidents who leave office before their mandate expires – for example, because of plagiarism or treason – can no longer receive taxpayer-funded benefits for the rest of their lives.
Former presidents could lose HUF 73 million charity budgets
The announcement also addresses a separate controversy surrounding the 2027 budget proposal. The draft budget, submitted on Friday evening, had allocated HUF 73 million per former president for public-benefit donations next year. Under the original proposal, Pál Schmitt, János Áder, Katalin Novák and Tamás Sulyok would each have been able to distribute the money freely among charities, civil organisations and foundations.
The proposal attracted attention after Telex first reported on the allocations. Magyar responded to the newspaper’s Facebook post over the weekend with a brief comment: “I wouldn’t think so. 1 January is still a long way off.”
He has now confirmed in Parliament that the allocations will be amended before the final vote on the budget. The separate funds available to former presidents for charitable donations will also be abolished.
Magyar described the measures as part of the government’s effort to eliminate what he called the remaining privileges of the previous political system.
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Government presents 2027 budget as start of national rebuilding
In his parliamentary address, the prime minister also outlined the broader goals of next year’s budget.
Magyar described the 2027 budget as carefully planned, saying it would only promise what the government could realistically deliver. He called it the beginning of Hungary’s reconstruction and said the government would work to put the country’s finances in order.
He added that the aim was to ensure that Hungarians could once again decide their own future. The government also intends to restore recognition and respect for those who have kept the country running in recent years.
According to Magyar, the foundations are being laid for further measures in the coming years, when economic growth picks up and European Union funding arrives.
He described the 2027 budget as the first step in a longer process, adding that the government had taken that step and would continue the work together.
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Magyar to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin
The prime minister also announced several upcoming diplomatic engagements. Next week, he will travel to Berlin for an official meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Magyar said he would be accompanied by the foreign minister, as well as the ministers responsible for the economy and energy, defence and the interior. The Hungarian ministers will also hold talks with their German counterparts.
Next Wednesday, Magyar is scheduled to travel to Dublin, where he will meet the leaders of the other 26 EU member states.
Reflecting on Hungary’s recent foreign policy developments, the prime minister drew a comparison with the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, noting that the country’s freedom fighters were left alone against overwhelming forces 70 years ago.
He argued that Hungary is no longer isolated and now has friends and partners stretching from Prague and Warsaw to Belgrade and Washington.
“We are not stronger because we have become louder, but because we are once again reliable, strong allies who remain faithful to our national and European values,” Magyar said.
