Hungary’s New Parliament Elects Orban PM, Opposition Lawmakers Vote “No”

(MTI) – Hungary’s new parliament re-elected Viktor Orban, the leader of the election-winning Fidesz party, as prime minister on Saturday.

Orban was elected with 130 votes in favour and 57 against.

Orban was supported by lawmakers of the co-ruling Fidesz and the Christian Democrat parties, nayes came from the Socialists, radical nationalist Jobbik, green LMP, E-PM, and one independent MP.

The Socialists do not wish to be party to Hungarian parliament acting as smoke screen for party politics, the party’s leader Attila Mesterhazy said. Mesterhazy criticised the government for failing to provide information on a government programme, the new government structure or its members. He added that no opportunity has been provided to make comments after the prime minister’s speech. “Under such circumstances it is not worth listening to the prime minister’s speech, as no more than bio-props” he said.

Peter Konya, a senior official of the E-PM party alliance, told a press conference that Orban had not published any platform in his election campaign other than “we shall continue”. He added that this was not something that E-PM supports. He said E-PM opposed retroactive legislation, more poverty for Hungarians, stealing their private assets, raising Hungary’s energy dependence and demolishing the system of checks and balances. He added that E-PM calls on Orban to immediately suspend talks on the Paks nuclear plant upgrade, as the contract on Paks will make Hungary dependent on a country which is “at war” in a neighbouring country, where the safety of ethnic Hungarians is also at risk.

Green LMP said that it was not the prime minister but the people who will decide whether the government’s actions are questionable. The party said Hungary will have a government with no chance for accountability. The supermajority got rid of the obligation of presenting a government programme and there is no chance for opposition lawmakers to comment on Orban’s speech in parliament, a statement by the party’s two co-leaders said.