Parliament begins 4-year term

As the newly elected national assembly meets for the first time, commentators ponder what role remains for an opposition
which fills less than one-third of the seats.

In Népszava, Zoltán Batka cautions opposition MPs against being relegated to the role of ‘biological décor’ in a Parliament
where they cannot prevent any laws from being passed by the governing party. The left-wing commentator suggests that
opposition MPs should only attend sessions on rare occasions, while during the general debates on Mondays, they
should only send their faction leaders – just as Fidesz often did when it was in opposition before 2010. Otherwise, he
warns, when the regime collapses, they will be buried under its ruins.

Magyar Nemzet’s Dávid Megyeri, by contrast, welcomes the decision of the overwhelming majority of opposition MPs not
to boycott the solemn opening session, although he attributes this to a threat by Fidesz floor leader Máté Kocsis, who said
those absent from the first session will not be elected to posts in Parliamentary committees. (Ákos Hadházy MP has left the
Momentum group after the latter decided not to boycott the opening session.) The pro-government columnist thinks the
opposition should realise that voters do not appreciate theatrical gestures and scandalous behaviour.

Tags: Hadházy, opposition, Parliament