László Kövér
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László Kövér (; born 29 December 1959) is a Hungarian politician who is the current
speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary The speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary (, literally the president of National Assembly) is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Hungary. The current speaker is László Kövér, since 6 August 2010. The speaker of the Nat ...
. Under his capacity as speaker, he was also twice acting president of Hungary in 2012 after the
resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...
of
Pál Schmitt Pál Schmitt (; born 1942) is a Hungarian Olympic fencer and politician who served as President of Hungary from 2010 until his resignation in 2012, following his academic misconduct controversy. Schmitt was a successful fencer in his ...
, and again in 2024 after the
resignation Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...
of
Katalin Novák Katalin Éva Veresné Novák (, born 6 September 1977) is a Hungarian politician who served as president of Hungary from 2022 to 2024. 2022 Hungarian presidential election, Elected at the age of 44, she was the first woman and youngest person ev ...
. A founding member of
Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; ) is a national-conservative political party in Hungary led by Viktor Orbán. It has increasingly identified as illiberal. Originally formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young Democrats () as ...
since 1988, he served as Minister without portfolio for Civilian Intelligence Services during the first
Viktor Orbán Viktor Mihály Orbán (; born 31 May 1963) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who has been the 56th prime minister of Hungary since 2010, previously holding the office from 1998 to 2002. He has also led the Fidesz political party since 200 ...
administration. He was appointed leader of the party in 2000, but resigned from his position the following year.


Career

László Kövér was born in the town of
Pápa Pápa is a historical town in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 28,549 inhabitants (2024), it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the r ...
and is a founding member of the Fidesz party. it is reported that even as late as the 1990s, he declared that he was a socialist and argued for the adjective “socialist” to be included in their student organization's (which later became Fidesz) name, which was eventually voted down by the majority, which included Viktor Orbán. He was an active participant in the Opposition Round Table discussions – a notable stage in the Hungarian transition – as well as of the tripartite political negotiations in 1989. A Member of Parliament since 1990, he is now the chairman of the Board of Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Union. He used to lead his political group in the National Assembly, and had chaired the Committee on National Security for two terms. He was minister without portfolio in charge of the Civil National Security Services during the first Orbán Cabinet. Shortly thereafter, he was elected as the President of Fidesz, a position he held until 5 May 2001. In the 1996 to 2009 period, he was a member of the Board of the Hungarian Association for Civic Cooperation. A member of the Board of the Hungarian Association of International Children's Safety Service since 1990, he has been its president since 1994. He was elected
Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary The speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary (, literally the president of National Assembly) is the presiding officer of the National Assembly of Hungary. The current speaker is László Kövér, since 6 August 2010. The speaker of the Nat ...
on 22 July 2010. Kövér took the position on 5 August, after his predecessor,
Pál Schmitt Pál Schmitt (; born 1942) is a Hungarian Olympic fencer and politician who served as President of Hungary from 2010 until his resignation in 2012, following his academic misconduct controversy. Schmitt was a successful fencer in his ...
, replaced
László Sólyom László Sólyom (, ; 3 January 1942 – 8 October 2023) was a Hungarian politician, lawyer, and librarian who was President of Hungary from 2005 until 2010. Previously he was the first president of the Constitutional Court of Hungary from 199 ...
as
President of Hungary The president of Hungary, officially the president of the republicUnder the Basic Law, adopted in 2011, the official name of the state is simply Hungary; Before, the state was called the Republic of Hungary. However, the office is nonetheless ...
. Kövér has become acting president twice-following the resignation of Schmitt as president on 2 April 2012, Kövér became acting president of the Republic according to the
Constitution of Hungary The Fundamental Law of Hungary (), the country's constitution, was adopted by parliament on 18 April 2011, promulgated by the president a week later and entered into force on 1 January 2012. It is Hungary's first constitution adopted within a dem ...
. The National Assembly has 30 days to elect a new president. One of the five deputy speakers of the parliament,
Sándor Lezsák Sándor Lezsák (born 30 October 1949) is a Hungarian poet, teacher and politician. Between 2 April 2012 and 10 May 2012, Lezsák was temporarily the Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, as the resignation of Pál Schmitt led to Speaker ...
was commissioned to exercise the Speaker's rights and responsibilities. On 10 February 2024,
Katalin Novák Katalin Éva Veresné Novák (, born 6 September 1977) is a Hungarian politician who served as president of Hungary from 2022 to 2024. 2022 Hungarian presidential election, Elected at the age of 44, she was the first woman and youngest person ev ...
resigned due to
scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way a ...
, prompting him to take this office once more. Kövér was re-elected as speaker of the parliament on 6 May 2014, on 8 May 2018, and also on 2 May 2022.


Personal life

His paternal grandfather was a carpenter and also a member of the
Hungarian Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party of Hungary (, , MSZDP) is a social democratic political party in Hungary. Historically, the party was dissolved during the occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany (1944–1945) and the communist period of Hungary from ...
(MSZDP) and later of the
Hungarian Working People's Party The Hungarian Working People's Party (, , abbr. MDP) was the ruling communist party of Hungary from 1948 to 1956. It was formed by a merger of the Hungarian Communist Party (MKP) and the Social Democratic Party of Hungary (MSZDP).Neubauer, Joh ...
(MDP) and the
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (, , MSZMP) was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of the Hungarian People's Republic between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the Hungaria ...
(MSZMP), who had served in the army of the
Hungarian Soviet Republic The Hungarian Soviet Republic, also known as the Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived communist state that existed from 21 March 1919 to 1 August 1919 (133 days), succeeding the First Hungarian Republic. The Hungari ...
in 1919. The maternal ancestors belonged to the
middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...
. His maternal grandfather was a taxi driver. His parents were László Kövér, Sr. (1933–1993), a locksmith and Erzsébet Ábrahám (born 1939). His brother, Szilárd, is a jurist. László Kövér married in 1987, his wife is Mária Bekk, a secondary school teacher of history and
ethnography Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
. They have three children: Vajk (1988), Botond (1989) and Csenge (1994). After the 2006 parliamentary election, when Fidesz lost the elections for the second time, Kövér swore that he would not cut his hair until the party was once again able to form a government. After four years, when his party won a two-thirds majority of seats by gaining 52% of the votes, Kövér appeared with short hair in the inaugural session of the sixth parliamentary term on 14 May 2010. In January 2017, Kövér cut his iconic mustache, which became his trademark throughout his political career.


Controversial views, statements

According to Czech newspaper ''
Hospodářské noviny ''Hospodářské noviny'' () is a national daily newspaper published in the Czech Republic. History and profile ''Hospodářské noviny'' was first published on 21 May 1990. The paper is headquartered in Prague and has a specific focus on econom ...
'' Kövér said about
Gabčíkovo – Nagymaros Dams Gabčíkovo (, ) is a town and municipality in the Dunajská Streda District, in the Trnava Region of southwestern Slovakia. It has 5,232 inhabitants of whom approximately 80% are Hungarians. After the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, the ...
: "When the Gabčikova-Nagymaros dam was built, the Slovak side has brutally changed the borders. The Hungarian state sought a legal rather than military solution, which it could have used in this situation." In September 2013, László Kövér said in a radio interview that in the long run he could image parliament should give more executive and legislative power to the cabinet in order to more effective treatment on "everyday challenges and enforce decisions through decrees, without the need to enact even the most detailed rules." He also told to
Echo TV Echo TV was a Christian democracy, Christian-conservative Hungary, Hungarian television channel owned and operated by Echo Hungária TV Zrt, and founded in 2005 to cover business news.
that parliament's current legislative method "with unnecessary detail" must be reformed, "leaving the elaboration of details to the government and simultaneously allowing deputies more time to supervise the executive authority". Both
Hungarian Socialist Party The Hungarian Socialist Party (, ), commonly known by its acronym MSZP (), is a centre-left to left-wing social-democratic and pro-European political party in Hungary. It was founded on 7 October 1989 as a post-communist evolution and one of t ...
and the E14PM electoral alliance called on Kövér to resign because of these statements.
Jobbik The Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary (, ), commonly known as Jobbik (), and previously known as Conservatives () between 2023 and 2024, is a Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Hungary, political party in Hungary. Ori ...
said "Kövér's statement pointed to a return of the era of the people's republic." In December 2015 he caused a furor with his conservative views on gender roles. His words "we would like it if our daughters believed the highest level of self-actualization is to give us grandchildren" caused a media storm and spawned memes on the internet. In September 2019, during a summit devoted to Europe's demographic challenges, he suggested that childless people are "not normal" and stated that “having children is a public matter, not a private one”. In April 2021, he claimed in an interview that “the Hungarian leftwing liberal opposition is part of a globalist, anti-national network” and that its representatives are “no different from
Mátyás Rákosi Mátyás Rákosi (; born Mátyás Rosenfeld; 9 March 1892 – 5 February 1971) was a Hungarian communism, communist politician who was the ''de facto'' leader of Hungary from 1947 to 1956. He served first as General Secretary of the Hungarian ...
or
Ernő Gerő Ernő Gerő (; born Ernő Singer; 8 July 1898 – 12 March 1980) was a Hungarian Communist leader in the period after World War II and briefly in 1956 the most powerful man in Hungary as the leader of its ruling communist party. Early career G ...
”. In November it was reported by the Hungarian investigative journalism outlet ''Direkt36'' reported that Kövér had delivered a speech (which had been secretly recorded) when meeting Hungarian civil intelligence services at their private 30th anniversary event in February 2020, in which he claimed that the current opposition parties are "the greatest national security threat to the country", adding that “the other part of the political class is acting in the spirit of the political tradition of abandoning the state and of self-disparaging as a nation”, likening them to the Communists led by
Béla Kun Béla Kun (, born Béla Kohn; 20 February 1886 – 29 August 1938) was a Hungarian communist revolutionary and politician who in 1919 governed the Hungarian Soviet Republic. After attending Franz Joseph University at Kolozsvár (today Cluj-N ...
in 1919 and claiming that they are involved in a 'class war'.


Nyírő's reburial

József Nyírő József Nyírő (July 18, 1889 – October 16, 1953) was a Hungarian writer of popular short stories and novels; a politician associated with fascism who was accused of war crimes; and briefly a Catholicism, Catholic priest in Miluani. Biography ...
was a popular Hungarian writer in the 1930s and 1940s, and a politician associated with fascism and antisemitism. In 2012, an attempt was made to move Nyírő's remains from Madrid, where his ashes were buried in 1953, to his birthplace
Odorheiu Secuiesc Odorheiu Secuiesc (; , ; ) is the second largest municipality in Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania. In its short form, it is also known as ''Odorhei'' in Romanian and ''Udvarhely'' in Hungarian. The Hungarian name of the town "Udvarhely" mean ...
in Transylvania. The reburial was originally planned for May 27, but the
Romanian government The Government of Romania () forms one half of the executive branch of the government of Romania (the other half being the office of the President of Romania). It is headed by the Prime Minister of Romania, and consists of the ministries, variou ...
banned the move.
Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania (), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania (), is the head of the Government of Romania, Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled ''President of the Council of Ministers'' (), when ...
Victor Ponta Victor Viorel Ponta (; born 20 September 1972) is a Romanian politician and jurist who served as Prime Minister of Romania from 2012 to 2015. He was president of the Social Democratic Party (Romania), Social Democratic Party (PSD) from 2010 to ...
said that Romania rejects paying tribute on its soil to people known for
anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
, anti-Romanian and pro-fascist conduct. In place of the reburial a small ecumenical service for the writer took place. The ceremony was attended by the leadership of the
Jobbik The Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary (, ), commonly known as Jobbik (), and previously known as Conservatives () between 2023 and 2024, is a Conservatism, conservative List of political parties in Hungary, political party in Hungary. Ori ...
party, and Hungary's State Secretary for Culture
Géza Szőcs Géza Szőcs (21 August 1953 – 5 November 2020) was an ethnic Hungarian poet and politician from Transylvania, Romania, who served as Secretary of State for Culture of the Ministry of National Resources in Hungary from 2 June 2010 to 13 June 2 ...
and speaker of the Hungarian Parliament László Kövér. Kövér complained that the Romanian government is "uncivilized," "paranoid," "hysterical," "barbaric," and that the people "who had a son whose ashes were feared" would be "victorious." He announced that they will bury Nyírő one way or the other and that they had smuggled his ashes into the country. Government authorities searched vehicles to ensure the urn were not buried at the ceremony but its location still remains unknown.
Nobel Prize laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in the ...
and
Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, its collaborators before and during World War II ...
Elie Wiesel Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel (September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates#1980, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored Elie Wiesel bibliogra ...
, in a letter to Kövér, said he was furious that Kövér had participated in a ceremony honoring a writer who was a loyal member of Hungary's World War II far-right parliament, an act he suggested reflected the authorities' willingness to gloss over the country's dark past. "I found it outrageous that the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly could participate in a ceremony honoring a Hungarian fascist ideologue," Wiesel wrote. In further protest, Wiesel rejected the Great Cross, a Hungarian government award that he received in 2004. Kövér, in his answer letter to Wiesel stated, the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
,
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
and
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
generals in the
Allied Control Commission Following the termination of hostilities in World War II, the Allies were in control of the defeated Axis countries. Anticipating the defeat of Germany, Italy and Japan, they had already set up the European Advisory Commission and a proposed Far ...
determined the conclusion in 1945 and 1947, when they refused to extradite the exiled writer two times for the request of the contemporary Hungarian Communist Minister of the Interior, Nyirő was not a war criminal, nor fascist or anti-Semitic. He also mentioned that
Nicolae Ceauşescu Nicolae may refer to: * Nicolae (name), an Aromanian and Romanian name * ''Nicolae'' (novel), a 1997 novel See also *Nicolai (disambiguation) *Nicolao Nicolao is an Italian given name and a surname. It may refer to the following: Given name *Ni ...
's government treated Nyírő as a well-recognized writer and ensured pension for his widow in the 1970s. Kövér cited a Hungarian Jewish scientific review (the ''Libanon'') and the newspaper stated that neither
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
ideals nor
anti-Semitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
could be found in Nyírő's literary works. Nyírő, the Transylvanian-born Hungarian writer, deserves respect not because of his - although insignificant, but certainly tragically misguided - political activities but his literary works, according to Kövér.
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
Speaker
Reuven Rivlin Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin ( ; born 9 September 1939) is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the president of Israel between 2014 and 2021. He is a member of the Likud party. Rivlin was Minister of Communications from 2001 to 2003, and su ...
told Kövér that he is not welcome in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
saying that the government of Israel is "shocked" that he chose to participate in the event commemorating Nyírő. "We are shocked by the reports that you chose to participate in an event commemorating
anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
writer József Nyírő," wrote Rivlin, "By so doing, you have openly proclaimed your identification with a man whose party, as part of the Hungarian leadership, cooperated with the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
murderers in the execution of their plan to annihilate the Jewish people." Rivlin also said: "A person who took part in such a ceremony cannot participate in an event honoring a man like
Raoul Wallenberg Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. In ...
, a
Righteous Gentile Righteous gentile may refer to: * ''Noachide'', a gentile who follows the Seven Laws of Noah * ''Ger toshav,'' ("resident alien") gentile (non-Jew) living in the Land of Israel who follows the Seven Laws of Noah * Righteous Among the Nations Ri ...
, a symbol of humanity, who saved
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
while risking his life, and who serves as an example of the fight against the Nazis and their collaborators, with whom you chose to identify."


Homophobic comments

In a speech at the
Budapest Metropolitan University Budapest Metropolitan University () is an accredited private institute of higher education in Budapest, Hungary. It is formally known as the Budapest Metropolitan University or budapesti Metropolitan Egyetem. As the Budapest College of Commun ...
pronounced on 15 May 2019, Kövér said that the desire of
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
people to adopt children could be likened to
paedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
as "both are interests into children". Kövér's words were strongly condemned by centre-left opposition and LGBT associations:
Tímea Szabó Tímea Szabó (born 18 January 1976) is a Hungarian humanitarian worker, journalist and politician. She has been a member of the National Assembly (MP) since 2010 from the Politics Can Be Different (LMP) National List, and since the 2014 elect ...
(
Dialogue for Hungary Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literary and theatrical form that depicts such an exchange. As a philosophical or didactic device, it is chi ...
) described the statement as "shameful", while independent MP
Bernadett Szél Dr. Bernadett Szél (born 9 March 1977) is a Hungarian economist and politician, and was a member of the National Assembly (MP) between 2012 and 2022. She was co-President of the Politics Can Be Different (''Lehet Más a Politika''; LMP) party f ...
accused
Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance (; ) is a national-conservative political party in Hungary led by Viktor Orbán. It has increasingly identified as illiberal. Originally formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young Democrats () as ...
to "court the far-right with no more inibitions". The Democratic Coalition even described Kövér as "a political criminal" and stated that its MPs would no longer stand up to salute the Speaker as he enters the Assembly. Kövér's words also received condemnation from the political scientist Zoltán Lakner and by the German ambassador in Hungary.


References


External links


Biography on the Hungarian Parliament Website
, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kover, Laszlo 1959 births Fidesz politicians Living people Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1990–1994) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1994–1998) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (1998–2002) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2002–2006) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2006–2010) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2010–2014) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2014–2018) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2018–2022) Members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2022–2026) People from Pápa Presidents of Hungary Secret ministers of Hungary Speakers of the National Assembly of Hungary Acting presidents of Hungary