Budapest, May 9 (IANS) Peter Magyar was sworn in as Hungary’s Prime Minister on Saturday after winning a parliamentary vote at the inaugural session of the new National Assembly, pledging to “change the system.”

A total of 195 out of the 199 members of parliament cast votes, with 140 in favour, 54 against and 1 abstention. Magyar, leader of Hungary’s Tisza Party, secured the required majority to be elected prime minister, marking the start of his four-year term.

Magyar said in his inaugural speech that the new government had received a mandate not only to change the government but also to “change the system.” He pledged to serve the country rather than “rule over it,” highlighting reconciliation, democratic renewal and national unit, Xinhua news agency

The new Tisza government “will be the government of all Hungarians,” stressing inclusiveness and equal dignity for all citizens, he added.

Born in March 1981, Magyar studied law and humanities at Pazmany Peter Catholic University. He worked as a trainee judge and a lawyer, and later held positions in the foreign ministry and other government institutions. He was elected leader of the Tisza Party and a member of the European Parliament in 2024.

Celebrations were held by Tisza supporters at Kossuth Square, in front of the parliament building in Budapest, where Magyar is also due to deliver a speech.

In the parliamentary elections held on April 12, the Tisza Party, led by Magyar, defeated the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by Viktor Orban, winning 141 of the 199 seats and securing a two-thirds majority in the new parliament.

The parliament also elected Agnes Forsthoffer, vice president of the Tisza Party, as speaker of the National Assembly in its inaugural session.

The 199-member parliament saw all lawmakers sworn in on the same day.

A total of 195 lawmakers cast their ballots. Forsthoffer, the sole candidate, was elected speaker with 193 votes in favour, 2 against and 0 abstentions. The parliament also elected six deputy speakers.

–IANS

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