Lázár: New governemnt structure to help decision-making, prepare for 2018 election

Budapest, July 14 (MTI) – The new government structure will help strengthen decision-making and strategic planning and support the prime minister in preparing for the general election in 2018, government office chief János Lázár told weekly Figyelő in an interview published on Thursday.

Lázár said the changes will create a forum which acts as a buffer zone between the ministries and the government where disputes can be resolved. The new economic cabinet will examine the budgetary implications of a proposal and the strategic one will see if it is in line with the government’s goals.

Lázár declined to say whether he was a candidate to head the strategic cabinet. But were he to be selected for the post, he said he would work so that “government performance would not be a risk but an advantage in the election” and to prevent “damaging connections between politics and economy”. He said he would “strike down” on those who “fail to take any responsibility and only leave embarrassing scandals behind them”.

Asked about his euroskepticism, Lázár said this was his personal opinion. He added that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán encourages him to express his personal views on such topics as the death penalty, the Sunday shopping ban and the European Union.

“Orbán is key to the 2018 election, Fidesz cannot win without him,” Lázár said, adding that in Brussels the Hungarian prime minister’s opinions “carry a lot of weight”.

Source: MTI