Minister for National Development resigns to concentrate on IMF talks

A leading conservative analyst finds the minister’s decision reasonable – evidence of what he believes is the government’s commitment to reaching  an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Hungary’s Minister for National Development Tamas Fellegi has asked to be relieved of his duties as minister, in order to concentrate on his new task as chief negotiator with the International Monetary Fund. Government spokesman András Giro-Szász said PM Viktor Orbán would discuss the matter with Mr Fellegi upon his return from Brussels before making a decision.

In an interview on Info Radio, Hungary’s only private news radio station, Ferenc Kumin, a leading analyst at Századvég (an influential conservative think tank) finds Tamás Fellegi’s decision reasonable as he is not only responsible for negotiations with the IMF and credit rating agencies, but serves as government commissioner for Hungarian-Russian and Hungarian-Chinese relations as well.

Ferenc Kumin underlines that reaching an agreement with the IMF is Hungary’s top economic policy priority. The analyst finds it strange that some interpret Mr Fellegi’s announcement as a sign that he does not enjoy PM Viktor Orbán’s trust any longer. On the contrary, he has just been appointed to conduct vital talks with the IMF. If his resignation is accepted, that will show the extent to which the government is determined to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Kumin concludes.

Tags: IMF