Hungary’s Szijjártó reappears after sudden absence following elections

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has reappeared in public for the first time since his unexplained absence following Hungary’s recent election, attending a cabinet meeting in Budapest on April 15.

Szijjártó was seen arriving at Buda Castle, where the government convened inside the Carmelite monastery building that serves as the office of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Caliber.Az reports via Hungarian media. 

Also present at the cabinet meeting were several senior officials, including Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, Government Spokesperson Eszter Vitályos, and communications adviser Fanni Kaminsky.

His reappearance comes after Hungarian media reported that the foreign minister had effectively disappeared from public view in the aftermath of the ruling party’s electoral defeat on April 12. He notably did not appear alongside Orbán when the prime minister publicly acknowledged the election results, and had remained inactive on social media for more than 16 hours.

By Sabina Mammadli