The speaker of Hungary's parliament has unveiled a statue commemorating former President Ferenc Mádl in his home town of Band, it has been announced.
László Kövér said that as a lawyer, Mádl, Hungary's president between 2000 and 2005, stood for Hungarian tradition and values and believed that a community can only survive if it holds onto its roots, preserves its national self-identity and avoids “falling victim” to the popular trends of a given time.
Mádl was someone who strongly believed in Europe’s unity even before Hungary’s regime change, Kövér said. The former president believed that there was only one place for Hungary and its people and that is Europe, Kövér added.
There will always be a need to follow the model of a politician such as Ferenc Mádl who professed such principle values as human dignity, freedom, solidarity, morals and care, the house speaker concluded.