After winning the recent election, Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Péter Magyar is making efforts to build a special relationship with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Both leaders are facing a similar task of restoring the rule of law after many years of the nation operating under the management of the right wing.
Right on the election night, Prime Minister Donald Tusk called to congratulate and affirmed that the change in Budapest is proof that Central Europe is gradually shifting away from unique governance models, similar to the process that took place in Warsaw, Bucharest and Chişinău.
In response to this support, Mr. Péter Magyar affirmed that he would choose Warsaw as the first destination for his foreign tour immediately after taking office. He also pledged to quickly handle former Polish government officials residing in Budapest to avoid prosecution by the law of the host country.
It is expected that Mr. Magyar will take his oath on May 9, coinciding with "European Day" - a symbolic act for Hungary's return to the core values of the union.
Replacing Mr. Viktor Orbán at the European Council and receiving advice from an experienced politician like Mr. Tusk is seen as the key for Budapest to soon return to the central position of EU politics.
Currently, European Union officials have begun the first informal rounds of negotiations with the new government in Budapest. Brussels expects Mr. Magyar to take concrete steps such as lifting the freeze on a loan of about 105 billion USD for Ukraine and supporting new sanctions against Russia.
Although Mr. Magyar holds a majority of 2/3 in Parliament, making law passage easier than Mr. Tusk's government in Poland, the actual workload is still very large.
Legal experts warn that reforming an administrative and judicial system that has been shaped for the past 16 years cannot happen quickly. The biggest challenge lies not only in legal documents but also in the change in thinking in the civil servant and judge apparatus that has been associated with the old system for many years.
