New government members announced

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has informed senior officials of the ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat parties about the composition of the new government entering office after the inaugural session of parliament in the weeks to come, the prime minister’s spokesman Bertalan Havasi told MTI on Friday.

Gergely Gulyás, Fidesz’s current parliamentary group leader, will head the prime minister’s office, and Antal Rogán will keep his job as cabinet chief.

Zsolt Semjén will keep his post of deputy prime minister responsible for Hungarian communities abroad, church policy and national minorities.

Sándor Pintér will continue to serve as interior minister, László Trócsányi as justice minister, Péter Szijjártó as minister of foreign affairs and trade, and János Süli as minister without portfolio responsible for the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant.

The government shake-up after the April 8 general election will see the appointment of Chief-of-Staff Tibor Benkő as defence minister.

Miklós Kásler, director of the National Oncology Institute, is to take over from Zoltán Balog as human resources minister in the new government.

Mihály Varga, the current economy minister, will carry on in his post but with the title of finance minister, and Andrea Bártfai-Mager will become a minister without portfolio in charge of managing national assets.

State secretary István Nagy will take over the farm ministry from Sándor Fazekas.

László Palkovics, formerly the state secretary for higher education, will head a new ministry for higher education and innovation.

featured image: MTI

Source: MTI