HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER Ferenc Gyurcsány’s cabinet is significantly altered from the team of his predecessor, Péter Medgyessy. The day he was sworn-in the names of seven new ministers were made public.

Among the first positions Gyurcsány replaced was that of popular Justice Minister Péter Bárándy, who had earlier announced his resignation. Replacing him is 46-yearold József Petrétei, who enters politics from academics after heading the Constitutional Law faculty at the University of Pécs since 1998.

Gyurcsány was also quick to find a successor to Economy Minister István Csillag, who announced his resignation the morning Gyurcsány was named prime minister. Interestingly enough, the fall of Medgyessy was largely attributed to the junior coalition party, and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) were insistent Csillag remain in place. While the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) viewed Csillag as unpopular, he remained and Medgyessy was shown the door. But tensions were still high so Gyurcsány appointed a young businessman to take Csillag’s place. János Kóka, 32, has a medical degree and formerly served as managing director and part owner of Internet service provider, Elender. Elender was sold for HUF 7 billion to US firm PSI-Net several years ago. When PSI-Net went bankrupt, Kóka and the Wallis group re-purchased the company. Gyurcsány hopes Kóka will increase the allure of Hungary to foreign investors and help the government better understand business perspectives. To reinforce this new vision, the foreign economic affairs portfolio will also fall under the jurisdiction of the Economy Ministry. The portfolio previously fell under the Foreign Ministry.

Hungary’s Foreign Ministry will also have a new head, since Foreign Minister László Kovács will soon be heading to Brussels as Hungary’s Commissioner to the EU. As of Nov. 1, 49-year-old Ferenc Somogyi will be the new foreign minister. Somogyi began working in the Foreign Ministry in 1969 and 20 years later he became state secretary. He was a key figure in the early negotiations for Hungary’s accession to NATO. From 1998-2003 he served as president of the Hungarian-Atlantic Council.

Etele Baráth will be minister without portfolio for European affairs. The 60-yearold architect began a career within the MSZP in 1994 and eventually became an elected representative in Parliament. As of May 2002, he was an influential state secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office in charge of the country’s National Development Plan and EU Support Office.

Another politician with roots in the MSZP, Gábor Csizmár, will take over from Sándor Burány as the new minister of labour. The 50-year-old politician with technical training and a political background served in various positions within the MSZP over the years. He has co-written 10 legal books and served as editor of two trade publications. He took a leap in becoming minister after previously serving as a state secretary for the Ministry of labour.

Jenő Rácz also steps into the role of the country’s new health minister, after working since 1996 as director of the hospital in Kalocsa. He was subsequently named deputy state secretary at the Ministry of Health. Today, the 51-year-old doctor will take the reigns of health minister from Mihály Kökény, whose health-care reforms were never achieved. Gyurcsány has decided not to jump into much-needed health reform and instead expects his new minister to create a more comfortable environment at the country’s healthcare institutions.

Gyurcsány also created the position of minister without portfolio for regional development, which was handed to István Kolber, former president of the Balaton Development Council and head of the Socialist Party in Somogy County. Kolber may well be disappointed since he was originally slated to take over the more influential position of interior minister from Mónika Lamperth. Lamperth’s job was saved at the last minute, however, after strings were pulled by some in the MSZP leadership – and interestingly – Gyurcsány ceded to the pressure.