Zsolt Semjén

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Zsolt Semjén MP
Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 June 2010 Serving with Tibor Navracsics (to 2014) Sándor Pintér (since 2018) Mihály Varga (since 2018)
Prime Minister	Viktor Orbán
Minister without portfolio for National Politics, Church Affairs and Nationalities
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 May 2018
Member of the National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 May 2002
In office 28 June 1994 – 17 June 1998
Personal details
Born	(1962-08-08) 8 August 1962 (age 59) Budapest, Hungary
Political party	KDNP
Children	Emese Borbála Botond Benedek Álmos Ágoston
Profession	politician

Zsolt Semjén (Hungarian pronunciation: [ʒolt ˈʃɛmjeːn]; born 8 August 1962) is a Hungarian politician, currently minister without portfolio and Deputy Prime Minister in the second, third and fourth cabinet of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Semjén is the leader of the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) since 2003, which formed a coalition and alliance with Fidesz.

Studies[]

After high school Semjén worked in the first half of the 1980s in industrial companies. He educated in theology at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University. In 1992 he graduated from sociology at the University. After that he attended Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest professionally bound with Budapest universities. In the second half of the 90s, he had his theology laureatus degree converted to a doctorate in religious studies, and was given an honorary assistant professorship at the university.

Academic misconduct controversy[]

According to an article on 18 November 2012 by hvg.hu, Semjén committed acts of academic misconduct, as he allegedly plagiarised around 40% of his 1991 theological doctoral thesis, parts of which he also resubmitted as his sociology diploma dissertation in 1992.^[1]

Eötvös Loránd University, which awarded Semjén his degree in sociology, confirmed that there is a significant overlap between the works of Semjén and Molnár but that retroactive overriding of the awarding process is unlawful and so will maintain his degree.^[2] Pázmány Péter Catholic University did not conduct an investigation in the case, and announced that they consider the question closed, thus Semjén still has his PhD degree from that institution.^[3]

Political career[]

Zsolt Semjén (left), Viktor Orbán and Tibor Navracsics on 29 May 2010 after taking the oath

In 1989, during the political transition, he was among the founders of the Christian Democratic People's Party. He was a member of the executive committee and employee of the National Assembly. From 1990 to 1994 he served as district councilor. In 1994 he obtained a parliamentary seat in 1997, he was the deputy leader of KDNP. Soon he left the party, joined the faction of the Hungarian Democratic Forum. In 1998, Viktor Orbán gave him the position of secretary of state for the church. In 2002 Zsolt Semjén returned to parliament from a list of Fidesz and the Democrats.

Soon, he rejoined the extra-parliamentary KDNP then, and in 2003 became chairman of this party. Under his leadership, the KDNP formed a cooperation agreement with Fidesz in 2005. In 2006 he was re-elected to another parliamentary term and was later re-elected in 2010. In the second government of Viktor Orbán he became minister without portfolio and Deputy Prime Minister.

He and his wife represented the Hungarian government at the interment of the heart of former Hungarian Crown Prince Otto in Pannonhalma Archabbey, as the only persons present who were not Habsburg family members or clerics.^[4]

References[]

External links[]

• Zsolt Semjén's webpage
• Datapage
• Biography
• Semjén: Rendszeresen imádkozom Gyurcsányért (Index interview)