RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 2, No., 19 June 1998

HUNGARIAN PRESIDENT NOMINATES NEW PRIME MINISTER. At the 18
June inaugural session of the new parliament, President
Arpad Goncz designated Viktor Orban, chairman of the
Federation of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic Party (FIDESZ-
MPP), as premier. Orban said it will take two or three weeks
to draw up a new coalition government. Goncz recommended
that the new government adopt a careful approach to its
economic policies in order to preserve the country's
achievements to date. The same day, the parliament elected
Janos Ader of FIDESZ-MPP as its new chairman and Socialist
Katalin Szili, Independent Smallholder Geza Gyimothy and
Free Democrat Ferenc Wekler as deputy chairmen. MSZ

ROMANIAN HEALTH MINISTER REFUSES TO RESIGN... Francisc
Baranyi, who admits to having been forced to sign up as a
Securitate informer, is refusing to resign, despite Prime
Minister Radu Vasile's request that he do so. Baranyi said
on 18 June that he wants the premier to study his file and
witness the fact that he never informed on anyone. He added
that the decision on whether he will resign must be taken by
the leadership of the Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania, RFE/RL's Bucharest bureau reported. Government
spokesman Razvan Popescu said Vasile is sticking to his
position and wants all ministers to submit written
declarations on their past links with the former communist
secret police. MS

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