EUobserver - Hungary's Right-Wing Opposition Party

Fidesz, has won a two-thirds majority in the country's general election after a second round of voting on Sunday (25 April).Led by former prime minister Victor Orban, the party has secured 263 out of 386 seats, according to the national election committee. The outgoing Socialists, whose leadership tendered its resignation en masse on Sunday as soon as the official results were released, won 59 seats, but managed to remain in second place and to not be eclipsed by the far-right Jobbik party. The extreme nationalist Jobbik, or Movement for a Better Hungary, got 47 seats, while the brand new green party, Politics Can Be Different, or LMP, won 16."We saw a revolution in the polling stations," Mr. Orban said after his victory, which has yielded a strong mandate that will allow his government to pass changes to the constitution.”

Hungarians today brought down a regime and founded a new one," he aside missions 'will not replace British embassies' Lord Howell of Guildford said that since the Lisbon treaty was signed the European Union External Action Service (EAS) has set up 54 new "super delegations”. He told the Lords that outgoing head of EU foreign affairs Javier Solana has forecast that the EAS would become "the biggest diplomatic service in the world”. He asked to whom this "enormous new force" will be accountable and how much it will cost. For the government, Lord Brett said the EU high representative for foreign affairs, Baroness Ashton, has established a 'high-level group' of European commission representatives and others to advise her on Each said her recommendations will be presented by April and that what is being considered is a "reorganization" the EU's "current overseas representation”. Lord Brett said there will not be "a massive increase" in staff numbers and while there is no breakdown of cost yet, the EAS will be funded from the 49.8bn euro administration budget. He denied there will be an "overlap" with national embassies as the EU delegations will only work on areas where "the EU has a clear and defined policy”.

Lord Brett said Foreign Office staff would be transferred to the EAS and the government hopes there will be "representational staff" from all EU nations. The seconded "will ensure our voice is heard”. Lord Hanna (CB) a former UK permanent representative to what was then the EEC, asked what steps will be taken to ensure senior appointments are made on the basis of professional competence and not "Begging’s turn" or a rigid national quota. Lord Brett said it is "very important" that appointments are both transparent and made on merit. He said that Baroness Ashton will set up processes that will lead to the appointment of a body of people to represent the EU on a range of issues. This will strengthen the EU and UK, he added. Lord Pearson (Kip) asked if there will be any British embassies in ten year's time, and where they will be. Lord Brett said that since he became Kip leader, Lord Pearson's questions have become "more esoteric and strange”. He said there are 130 EU external delegations at present part of the process undertaken by Baroness Ashton will decide on where EU embassies will be situated. He told peers there is "no connection between national embassies and the new EU structure"...