Hungary MPs vote to slash own salaries by 40%
Lawmakers unanimously cut their pay to 3,690 euros per month.
Hungarian lawmakers voted unanimously on Monday to slash their own salaries by 40%, fulfilling a campaign promise by new Prime Minister Peter Magyar. All 189 representatives present in the 199-member parliament backed the bill submitted by the ruling Tisza party. Starting next month, deputies' monthly base salaries will drop to €3,690 (about $4,260) before taxes—still nearly double the national average wage, but down from roughly three times under former premier Viktor Orbán.
Magyar, whose party won a landslide on April 12, had criticized the previous administration's high pay as a tactic to placate opposition deputies. He framed the cut as a matter of 'self-restraint and humility' and a step toward reducing administrative costs. The move signals a sharp break from Orbán's era and may bolster public trust in the new government's commitment to fiscal discipline.
- All 189 present MPs voted for the 40% pay cut, with 10 absent from the 199-seat legislature.
- Base salary drops to €3,690 pre-tax, from roughly three times the average wage to nearly double.
- Prime Minister Peter Magyar pushed the cut as a symbol of 'self-restraint and humility' after his landslide win on April 12.
Why It Matters
Austerity and political accountability: lawmakers lead by example, cutting their own pay to reduce government costs.