János Lázár, the Minister overseeing the all-powerful Prime Minister’s Office, took a rare, public swipe at Prime Minister Viktor Orbán today, as he explained to journalists in Budapest how much he disagrees with the government’s decision to allow all shops and commercial establishments to once again open on Sundays. Mr. Lázár had previously been billed by some sources close to Fidesz as Mr. Orbán’s eventual successor, especially if the current prime minister ever decided to occupy the office of the President. At the moment, that office is largely ceremonial, and occupied until 2017 by Fidesz politician János Áder. A couple of years ago there had been chatter of redefining the presidential roles and moving Hungary towards a presidential model similar to that of France, with Mr. Orbán at the helm. That plan may have been nixed and it now appears that László Kövér, the current speaker of the House and one of the most aggressive, authoritarian Fidesz politicians, is being considered as a candidate for president after 2017.
But Mr. Lázár’s prime ministerial ambitions have not faded. The former mayor of the town of Hódmezővásárhely managed to enter into Mr. Orbán’s inner circle, even sidelining some veteran Fidesz politicians. But he offered some very candid words on what he thought of the government’s decision Monday to repeal its law on obligatory Sunday store closures, enacted with much pride only a year ago and championed by Fidesz’s ally, the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP).
“I would rather be a principled conservative than an unprincipled pragmatist,” remarked Mr. Lázár pointedly. Between 60% and 70% of the Hungarian population opposed the forced store closures, and the opposition Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) was about to capitalize on this sentiment and anger directed at Fidesz. Mr. Orbán recognized that it was time for a volte-face. He had done that many times in his over quarter century in Hungarian politics, so this should not have come as a surprise.
János Lázár at Thursday’s press conference. Photo: MTI.
Mr. Lázár noted that he stood in solidarity with his KDNP “colleagues” on this issue, adding that the decision to repeal the blue law is a “political defeat.” Mr. Lázár, along with Zoltán Balog, Minister of Human Resources, decided to be absent during the vote, in order to express their opposition, but without having to openly vote against their own prime minister.
It was Prime Minister Orbán who had the final say in the matter. He was the one who decided that the MSZP-led referendum against the blue law must be preempted, by simply having the government move to rescind the legislation in parliament as soon as possible.
When Mr. Lázár was asked who, in specific, he considers to be an “unprincipled pragmatist” in his own party, he remarked: “all those who accuse me of archaic conservatism.”
Mr. Lázár confirmed that immediately after the vote, Prime Minister Orbán visited him at his home in Hódmezővásárhely and stayed there overnight. Mr. Orbán only left Mr. Lázár’s house the next morning at 9:30 AM. He was heading to Serbia. When asked about this extended, overnight visit, Mr. Lázár refused to reveal any details of what had been discussed, but simply noted that there is nothing unusual in the prime minister deciding that he wanted to spend an evening or all night with one of his ministers.
In his extended press conference, Mr. Lázár was also keen to move beyond the divisive issue of Sunday shopping and offered a list of bread-and-butter promises and pledges. For instance, the goods and services tax on milk, eggs and poultry will be reduced to just 5%. “This is very good news for pensioners,” remarked Mr. Lázár. Pensioners, of course, are a critical demographic in any election, especially in light of Hungary’s aging population and the emigration of some 500,000 younger Hungarians to other European Union countries. The government is also reducing the goods and services tax on restaurant meals from 27% to 18% in 2017, and then down to 5% in 2018, which will coincide with the next national election in Hungary.
The country’s flat income tax rate will also be decreasing from 16% to 15% and the goods and services tax on internet services is being reduced as well.
Hungarians will be paying noticeably less for many goods and services and their income tax will be decreased as well. Pensioners and those on low incomes will be pleased about the decrease in the value added tax, while higher earners stand to benefit from the lowered flat income tax rate. Will these feel-good measures be enough to paper over the divisions within Fidesz about the volte-face on Sunday store closures and to also pacify the population? We will likely know in short order.