Judit Lannert disappears as pressure mounts on education minister

Judit Lannert, Hungary’s newly appointed education minister, attracted attention late in the summer by touring the state secretary’s and minister’s office used by Katalin Novák and Zsófia Koncz. She disparaged the room, saying it lacked intimacy, then expressed surprise that the building contained a small bathroom with a makeup mirror.

Lannert said the room proved that previous governments had not given women a serious role. Her remarks triggered strong outrage, according to the article.

She caused further controversy after opening the academic year with Prime Minister Péter Magyar on August 31. For university opening ceremonies held the following week, she barred local members of parliament and mayors from attending. The ban affected Fidesz politician László Papp, the mayor of Debrecen, as well as Mihály Györfi, the Tisza-aligned mayor of Szolnok.

Both mayors reacted angrily. They were joined by Péter Márki-Zay, the Tisza-aligned mayor of Hódmezővásárhely, and András Cser-Palkovics, the Fidesz mayor of Székesfehérvár. The article argues that the minister’s hard line was unnecessary because mayors regularly attend and speak at school-year opening ceremonies in major cities.

It cites the opening ceremony at the University of Pécs, which the city’s mayor attended, and events in Győr. There, Tisza-sympathetic mayor Bence Pintér spoke at the local Benedictine high school’s opening ceremony. The event was held with Agriculture Minister Szabolcs Bóna and a local Tisza-aligned member of parliament, rather than with the education minister. In parliament, Lannert’s state secretary attempted to defend the minister’s earlier unacceptable remarks.