Politicians have arrived in parliament for the opening session of the new national assembly. Sitting on a Saturday is unusual, but as today is Europe Day, it is also symbolic. The session was opened by President Tamás Sulyok shortly after 10 a.m., and MPs sang the Hungarian national anthem together.
“Today, Hungary will, symbolically as well as in deeds, return to where it has belonged for one thousand years based on its history, culture and spirit: to Europe and the Western community of values,” Zoltán Tarr, the incoming minister for social relations and culture, said in a Facebook post today.
Tarr, who is also the deputy chairman of the Tisza Party, said May 9, Europe Day, “a day of peace, rebuilding and cooperation,” was a symbolic date for the first parliamentary session and the election of a new prime minister.
“For Hungary, it will mean a new, possibly the most important chapter of the Hungarian regime change, and the start of peaceful construction,” he said. Hungary’s message to Europe and its allies is: “We are back. We are ready to cooperate based on mutual respect, with our shared values in mind,” he said.
“Let’s build a country our children can be proud of! God bless Hungary,” his Facebook post ended.
‘Normal Opposition’
Meanwhile, state news agency MTI reported that Fidesz group leader Gergely Gulyás had promised the Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) alliance would behave as a “normal opposition” in the new parliamentary term, supporting good proposals but holding Tisza to its election promises.
In a Facebook post ahead of the inaugural session of Hungary’s new parliament today, Gulyás said the Fidesz-KDNP group was committed to the country’s success and would act as a constructive opposition, something he described as “novel and unusual” in Hungarian politics.
In Hungary’s 199-seat parliament, the Tisza Party will have 141 seats, Fidesz 44, the KDNP eight, and the ultra-right Our Homeland Movement has six.
