On Tuesday, President of the Republic János Áder appointed a new minister and state secretaries effective as of 2 June.

Mihály Varga, as Tamás Fellegi’s successor, will coordinate talks with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as minister without portfolio. Varga was previously Minister of State heading the Prime Minister’s Office, and was Finance Minister during the first Orbán Government.

Mihály Varga said, as part of his ministerial duties, he will make every effort to enable Hungary to reach an agreement with the IMF within the shortest possible time as the agreement may greatly facilitate the operation of the economy and will ensure stable financing. Negotiations between the parties may start as early as in the summer. He added that he will also consult his predecessor, Tamás Fellegi, the representatives of the National Bank of Hungary and the Ministry for National Economy in order to represent a common position.

János Lázár, previously head of Fidesz’s parliamentary group will take over as Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office. The Prime Minister’s Office will in the future operate under the coordination of three state secretaries. One of them will be Péter Szíjjártó, currently Spokesperson for the Prime Minister, who will be responsible for the Prime Minister’s international relations.

Antal Rogán will take over as the leader of the 226-strong parliamentary faction of Fidesz. He is a widely known politician as Mayor of Budapest’s 5th district and Chair of Parliament’s Economic Committee.

(Ministry of Public Administration and Justice)