The reversal comes less than a week after Magyar publicly defended his decision to appoint his brother-in-law to one of the most powerful posts in the Hungarian government. Calling Melléthei-Barna’s professional competence “unquestionable,” the prime minister-designate argued concerns about nepotism were understandable, but manageable.
Magyar also said his sister — who is a sitting judge in the Pest Central District Court — would step down from the bench “to avoid even the appearance of an intertwining of branches of power.”
Magyar unveiled his first ministerial picks on April 20, days after ousting Viktor Orbán in Hungary’s April 12 election and ending the nationalist leader’s 16-year grip on power.
Following Melléthei-Barna’s withdrawal, Magyar on Friday announced he had nominated Márta Görög, dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at the University of Szeged, for the justice minister post. The jurist is a regional president of the Hungarian Bar Association and a member of the division of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences specializing in legal matters.
Hungary’s new parliament convenes on Saturday for an inaugural session in which Magyar is expected to be formally appointed as prime minister.