Based on a decision adopted by Parliament on Monday, the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister will be established as a separate ministry responsible for general political coordination.

The legislative amendment on governmental structure was initiated by the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office János Lázár, and was passed in Parliament by a majority of 110 votes to thirty, with one abstention.

The Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister will be the third Orbán government’s tenth ministry, and will be led by Antal Rogán, former head of the Fidesz parliamentary group. Mr.  Rogán will occupy a ministerial position as the Prime Minister’s cabinet chief. The legislative amendment, which enters into force on the day after its promulgation, also states that the Prime Minister’s work will be assisted by the Programme Office of the Prime Minister, which will operate within the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister. The Programme Office, which will be comprised of units and departments, will be headed by a state secretary whose activities will come under the Prime Minister’s direct supervision.

Based on Mr. Lázár’s initiative, Members of Parliament also approved the amendment of this year’s budget by a majority of 111 votes to fifty-two, with one abstention. The budget will accordingly be supplemented with a chapter dedicated to the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, the funding of which shall be within  the Government’s remit. Upon submission of the bills, Mr. Rogán told the Hungarian News Agency MTI that the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister will not be a ministry with sector-specific responsibilities, but a government body assisting the Prime Minister’s work, “whose primary duty will be to perform tasks designated by the Prime Minister”.

The Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister will also be responsible for government communication and, as Mr. Rogán told the public television news channel M1 last week, it may also oversee the setting up of a centre for national consultations.

(kormany.hu/MTI)