The ruling Tisza Party of Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has submitted a landmark bill to parliament aimed at overhauling the country’s public media system, which critics say became increasingly centralized and politically controlled during the 16-year rule of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

The reform of public service media was one of Tisza’s key campaign promises ahead of the parliamentary elections, which saw the opposition party defeat Orbán’s Fidesz government and secure a constitutional majority. According to Reuters, the new majority gives the government the power to reverse many of the media-related reforms introduced under the previous administration.

The proposed legislation states that its primary objective is to restore “independent, transparent and accountable public service broadcasting.” A central element of the reform is the restructuring of MTVA, the state media holding company that currently oversees Hungary’s public broadcasters. Under the proposal, MTVA would be split, creating a separate company responsible for television and radio broadcasting, while the national news agency MTI would once again operate as an independent entity.

The bill also establishes an Independent Public Media Committee tasked with safeguarding editorial independence, overseeing operations and finances, and participating in the appointment of senior management. The committee would be based on parity representation, with equal numbers of government and opposition delegates alongside representatives of independent media organizations.

In addition, a new Public Media Council would be responsible for monitoring compliance with public service principles defined in a Public Service Charter. The legislation further proposes reforms to the Media Council, part of Hungary’s National Media and Infocommunications Authority, introducing a more balanced composition, greater transparency in decision-making and stricter conflict-of-interest rules.

If adopted, the reforms would terminate the mandates of the current public media leadership. During the transition period, Culture Minister Zoltán Tarr would temporarily oversee public media operations, while new executives would be selected through an open application process.

The move follows April’s parliamentary election victory by Tisza, ending Fidesz’s 16-year hold on power. Shortly after taking office, Magyar pledged to suspend the existing state media structure and introduce legislation guaranteeing press freedom, making media reform one of the flagship initiatives of his new government.