Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary
| General Deputy to the Prime Minister of Hungary | |
|---|---|
| Magyarország miniszterelnökének általános helyettese | |
.svg.png) | |
| |
| Style | Ms. Deputy Prime Minister (informal) |
| Type | Cabinet minister |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Prime Minister of Hungary |
| Seat | Ministry of Justice |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Hungary |
| Appointer | President of Hungary |
| Inaugural holder | Bertalan Szemere (de facto) |
| Formation | 23 March 1848 |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister |
| Website | kormany |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary | |
|---|---|
| Magyarország miniszterelnök-helyettese | |
| |
since 16 May 2026 | |
| |
| Style | Mr. Deputy Prime Minister (informal) |
| Type | Cabinet minister |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Prime Minister of Hungary General Deputy |
| Seat | Prime Minister's Office |
| Nominator | Prime Minister of Hungary |
| Appointer | Prime Minister of Hungary |
| Inaugural holder | Bertalan Szemere (de facto) |
| Formation | 23 March 1848 |
| Website | kormany |
The deputy prime minister of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország miniszterelnök-helyettese), officially the general deputy to the prime minister of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország miniszterelnökének általános helyettese), is a senior member of the Hungarian Cabinet. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who may appoint to other offices to give seniority to a particular Cabinet minister. The officeholder is responsible for specific coordination and policy areas defined by law.[1] If the Prime Minister does not nominate a deputy prime minister, the Minister of the Interior acts as first in the order of substitution within the government hierarchy, according to established governmental practice and statutory regulation governing substitution of ministers.[2] The office is currently held by Anita Orbán under Péter Magyar's premiership.
Terminology
Hungarian usage distinguishes between:
- Deputy Prime Minister: The title is typically held by a serving cabinet minister who also retains another ministerial portfolio (commonly interior, justice, or finance). In such cases, the designation primarily indicates first place in the order of succession to the Prime Minister and does not confer formal superiority over other members of the Cabinet. At various times, Hungary has had more than one deputy prime minister serving simultaneously.[3]
The incumbent deputy prime minister is Bálint Ruff, who has served since 16 May 2026.
- General Deputy of the Prime Minister: member of the Cabinet without an independent ministerial portfolio, but with a designated office, who substitutes for the Prime Minister in accordance with the order determined by the Prime Minister and who is assigned specific statutory coordination responsibilities.[4]
The incumbent general deputy of the prime minister is Anita Orbán, who has served since 13 May 2026.
Responsibilities
The legal framework for the office is primarily defined in the Government Decree No. 182/2022. (V. 24.) on the duties and powers of the members of the Government.[2] The general deputy substitutes for the Prime Minister according to the order determined by the head of government.[2]
The deputy prime minister's statutory portfolio includes:
- Coordination of relations with churches
- Church policy and church diplomacy
- Preparation of legislation relating to religious communities
- Coordination of governmental strategy concerning church affairs[2]
The general deputy has responsibilities in national policy (nemzetpolitika), including coordination relating to Hungarian communities living outside Hungary and related government programmes such as the Bethlen Gábor Fund and cross-border cooperation initiatives.[5] The portfolio also includes nationalities policy (nemzetiségpolitika), including the preparation of legislation concerning the rights of nationalities, the coordination with nationality self-governments and the oversight of Hungary's implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992) and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (1995)[2] The deputy prime minister also versees administrative functions relating to state decorations and recognitions awarded by the President of Hungary, the Government, and the Prime Minister.[2]
List of officeholders
Kingdom of Hungary (1848–1849) and the Hungarian State (1849)
Parties Opposition Party (EP)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | ||||||
| Office not in use | 23 March 1848 – 16 September 1848 | Batthyány | ||||||
| Deputy President of the Committee of National Defence | ||||||||
| 1 |  |
Pál Nyáry (1805–1871) |
16 September 1848 | 14 April 1849 | 194 days | EP | Committee of National Defence | |
| Office not in use | 14 April 1849 – 11 August 1849 | Szemere | ||||||
Kingdom of Hungary (1867–1918)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||
| Office not in use | 17 February 1867 – 16 November 1918 | ||||||
Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||
| Office not in use | 16 November 1918 – 21 March 1919 | Károlyi
| |||||
Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)
Parties KMP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | ||||||
| Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Governing Council of the Hungarian Soviet Republic | ||||||||
| 1 |  |
Antal Dovcsák (1879–1962) |
24 June 1919 | 1 August 1919 | 38 days | KMP | Revolutionary Governing Council | |
Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||
| Office not in use | 6 August 1919 – 29 February 1920 | Friedrich
| |||||
Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)
MMP Arrow Cross Party Hungarian Communist Party
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | ||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | ||||||||
| Office not in use | 29 February 1920 – 21 March 1944 | |||||||
| 1 |  |
General Jenő Rácz (1882–1952) |
22 March 1944 | 29 August 1944 | 160 days | MMP | Sztójay | |
| Office not in use | 29 August 1944 – 16 October 1944 | Lakatos | ||||||
| 2 | .svg.png) |
Jenő Szöllősi (1893–1946) |
16 October 1944 | 28 March 1945 | 163 days | NYKP | Szálasi | |
| 3 | .jpg) |
Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) |
15 November 1945 | 1 February 1946 | 78 days | MKP | Tildy | |
Republic of Hungary (1946–1949)
Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)
Republic of Hungary (1989–2012) and Hungary (2012–present)
Fidesz Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Cabinet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | ||||||
| Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary | ||||||||
| Office not in use | 23 May 1990 – 1 June 2010 | |||||||
| 2 |  |
Tibor Navracsics (1966–) |
1 June 2010 | 6 June 2014 | 4 years, 5 days | Fidesz | Orbán II | |
| 3 |  |
Mihály Varga (1965–) |
18 May 2018 | 4 June 2024 | 4 years, 17 days | Fidesz | Orbán IV | |
| 4 |  |
Sándor Pintér (1948–) |
Fidesz | |||||
| 5 |  |
Zsolt Semjén (1962–) |
1 June 2010 | 12 May 2026 | 15 years, 345 days | KDNP | Orbán II
| |
| 6 |  |
Anita Orbán (1974–) |
16 May 2026 | Incumbent | 105 days | Tisza | Magyar | |
| 7 | Bálint Ruff (1981–) |
19 May 2026 | Incumbent | 102 days | Independent | |||
See also
References
- ↑ "Government Decree on the Duties and Powers of Members of the Government". National Legislation Database (Nemzeti Jogszabálytár). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Government Decree 182/2022 (V. 24.) on the duties and powers of members of the Government". International Labour Organization (Natlex). Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ "The Government". Government of Hungary. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ "2014. évi CLII. törvény a Nemzeti Jogszabálytárról". Nemzeti Jogszabálytár (in Hungarian). Magyar Közlöny / Nemzeti Jogszabálytár. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ↑ "2014. évi CLII. törvény a Nemzeti Jogszabálytárról". Nemzeti Jogszabálytár (in Hungarian). Magyar Közlöny / Nemzeti Jogszabálytár. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
Sources
- "Magyarország Kormánya – Miniszterelnök-helyettes". Magyarország Kormánya (in Hungarian). Miniszterelnökség. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- "Magyarország Alaptörvénye (2011)". Nemzeti Jogszabálytár (in Hungarian). Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- "Deputy Prime Minister". The Government of Hungary. Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- "Government Decree 182/2022 (V. 24.) on the duties and powers of members of the Government". International Labour Organization (Natlex). Retrieved 13 February 2026.