Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said the government expects to be able to give up its coronavirus-related special powers at the end of May.
Following talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in Belgrade, PM Orbán noted that the special powers granted to it by parliament at the outbreak of the epidemic enabled the Hungarian government to make “weighty and difficult” decisions with immediate effect.
The prime minister said that countries that had handed “the right powers” to their governments had handled the epidemic more effectively. After giving up the special powers, “we will give everyone a chance to apologize to Hungary for their unfair accusations,” he said.
Hungary’s performance in protecting the country from the epidemic “is second to none”. “We’ve always worked within a democratic framework and will return to the usual routine of parliamentary business after giving up the special powers,” he said.
Regarding international cooperation, PM Orbán said it “faltered in the West, went smoothly in the East and strengthened us in central Europe.” Hungary had established an “air bridge” with China through which 120 aircraft had delivered enough equipment for Hungary to handle a second wave of the epidemic, which scientists expect to hit in October-November, PM Orbán said.
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