Former Socialist Speaker joins smaller government party

Katalin Szili, the prime minister’s chief advisor, will join the junior coalition Christian Democratic Party (KDNP), KDNP head Zsolt Semjen announced on Friday. She served as the Speaker of the Parliament between 2002 and 2009, even under the Gyurcsány governments. She left the Socialist Party in October 2010.

Szili’s joining the party is “an honour and joy”, Semjén said, adding that Szili had been known for her commitment and services to the churches. Semjén noted Szili’s establishing the Forum for Hungarian Deputies in the Carpathian Basin and her contributions to efforts helping ethnic Hungarian communities.

Szili said she had been “in no man’s land” for the past 12 years but she was now joining the community “she has always belonged to”. “I have found my way home, and if I can serve my nation by also serving conscientiously adopted values, I will gladly do so,” she said.

Source: MTI