Opposition parties demand reasons for defence minister’s resignation

Budapest (MTI) – Opposition parties on Monday demanded to know the reason for Defence Minister Csaba Hende’s resignation and called for a new direction from the government in its handling of the migrant crisis.

The radical nationalist Jobbik party said it demands “an immediate explanation” for Hende’s move. The party said they wanted to know the reason for the minister’s departure because Hungarian borders are under critical and “historic pressure” and because the bill to deploy the army to the border is still before parliament. “A government crisis in a situation like this is further cause for concern,” Jobbik said, adding that Hende’s resignation indicates that “not even the government can find common ground on border protection”.

The Socialist Party said that “by relieving Hende of his duties, [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban has admitted that the government’s refugee policy had failed”. The party said in a statement that Hende’s five years in office coincided with the army’s “deterioration”. “He [Hende] had a dozen scandals which in a normal country would have led to the defence minister’s immediate resignation,” the party said. The statement said that “the real reason for Hende’s resignation is being kept secret for now, but if he had to give an honest report on the army’s condition at today’s meeting of the national security committee, then we shouldn’t be surprised that Viktor Orban fired him.” The Socialists said they expect Istvan Simicsko, who will now manage the defence portfolio, to “distance himself” from Hende’s policies and “say no” to deploying the military along the border.

The leftist opposition Democratic Coalition said Hungarian citizens had a “right to know the real reasons” for the minister’s decision to step down. Lawmaker Agnes Vadai said it was “no accident” that “after five years of incompetence, recklessness and damage” Hende tendered his resignation “less than two weeks before the Orban government is set to deploy the army to the Hungarian-Serbian border”. She said Hende’s resignation was an “interesting development considering that just last week he was arguing in parliament for the deployment of the army within Hungary’s territory.”