Tisza Government May Not Withstand External Pressure

Although several members of the new government became known during the campaign and their legitimacy cannot be questioned in that sense, serious concerns remain about the extent to which they will be able to represent Hungarian interests in the face of external pressure, Janos Zila, an analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights, told our newspaper.

Istvan Kapitany, the Tisza Party’s head of economic development and energy, at a forum in Kistarcsa held as part of the party’s nationwide tour. (Photo: Istvan Mirko, MW)

Regarding the leadership of the foreign ministry, he stated that under a Tisza Party government, Hungary would tighten its relationship with Brussels and would not meaningfully diverge from the ideas of the elite there. In connection with Anita Orban, he also recalled an episode from the campaign, noting that “journalist Szabolcs Panyi referred to her as a friend and boasted that he would have access to documents from the ministry she would lead.” According to the analyst, 

it will be worth watching, under Ms. Orban’s leadership, to what extent the foreign ministry will be able to represent Hungary’s national interests.

Speaking about the role of Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi, he said that “not only did he play a central role in public debates in recent months, but he himself boasted that he would revive his former connections with his Ukrainian counterparts.” He added that “from the standpoint of Hungary’s future, it is a key question in what form and to what extent this will be realized.”

Finally, he also addressed the issue of restructuring the restructuring the government. As he explained, the system of specialized ministries entails a greater number of portfolios and makes the structure more complex, while it remains uncertain whether this will also result in an expansion of state bureaucracy in the period ahead.

Cover photo: Istvan Kapitany was a leader at a global energy company (Photo: Istvan Mirko)