Hungary’s new National Assembly will hold its inaugural session on Saturday, where lawmakers are expected to elect Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, as prime minister following his party’s victory in the April parliamentary elections.
According to the official agenda published on Wednesday, the session will begin at 10am and be opened by President Tamás Sulyok. After the national anthem, the president will welcome attendees and invite the oldest Member of Parliament to preside over the session as speaker pro tempore.
Lawmakers will hear reports on the 12 April election from Head of the National Election Commission Róbert Sasvári and Head of the National Election Office Attila Nagy.
In the vote, the Tisza Party secured 141 seats in the 199-member parliament, while the Fidesz–KDNP alliance won 52 seats and Our Homeland obtained six.
Following the verification of mandates, MPs will take their oath of office, formally establishing the new parliament and ending the mandate of the government formed in 2022 under Orbán Viktor. Until the new cabinet is formed, the outgoing government will remain in a caretaker capacity with limited powers.
During the session, the president will formally nominate the prime minister. Tamás Sulyok had already tasked Péter Magyar with forming a government on 15 April.
After oath-taking documents are verified, parliament will approve the election reports without debate, and the interim speaker will announce the formation of parliamentary groups.
Lawmakers will then elect the speaker of parliament by secret ballot, followed by the election of deputy speakers and notaries through open voting. The Tisza Party has nominated Ágnes Forsthoffer as speaker, along with several candidates for deputy positions, while opposition parties have also put forward their nominees.
One of the final tasks of the interim speaker will be to announce the formation of the House Committee, the parliament’s main decision-preparatory body.
The newly elected speaker will then take over proceedings, after which parliament will vote on the prime minister. The candidate must receive the support of more than half of MPs. Upon election, the new prime minister will immediately take office, swear an oath before historical flags, and deliver an address.
Lawmakers may also decide to fast-track legislation on the structure of ministries and measures related to ending the state of emergency introduced due to the Russo–Ukrainian war.
Later in the session, parliament will establish its standing committees. The new legislature will have 20 committees, with 14 chaired by the governing party, four by Fidesz, and one each by KDNP and Our Homeland.
The session will conclude with the performance of national and European musical pieces, including ‘Ode to Joy’ from Symphony No 9 by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Alongside the parliamentary session, the Tisza Party will host a day-long public celebration near the parliament building at Kossuth Square and along the Danube embankment. Following the expected election of Péter Magyar as prime minister, a ceremonial flag-raising and public address will take place.
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