Hungarian foreign minister to retain parliamentary seat after stepping down

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, who is expected to leave his ministerial post in the coming days, will retain a seat in the new session of Hungary’s National Assembly.

The announcement was made by Gergely Gulyás, head of the Fidesz parliamentary group, Caliber.Az reports, citing Hungarian media.

Following the April 12 elections, the ruling Fidesz party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, in coalition with the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), secured 52 seats in the 199-member parliament. Within this allocation, Fidesz will hold 44 seats, one of which will be occupied by Szijjártó.

During his tenure as foreign minister, Szijjártó was widely noted for his critical stance toward Ukraine and his pro-Russian rhetoric, which has often set Hungary apart from several other European Union member states on foreign policy issues.

By Sabina Mammadli