Zsolt Semjén

The native form of this personal name is Semjén Zsolt. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Zsolt Semjén
MP
Official portrait, 2018
Deputy Prime Minister of Hungary
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 June 2010
Serving with Tibor Navracsics (2010–2014)
Sándor Pintér (2018–2022)
Mihály Varga (2018–2022)
Prime MinisterViktor Orbán
Minister without portfolio for National Politics, Church Politics and Church Diplomacy
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 May 2022
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 63)
Budapest, Hungary
PartyKDNP
Children3
Professionpolitician

Zsolt Semjén (Hungarian pronunciation: [ʒolt ˈʃɛmjeːn]; born 8 August 1962) is a Hungarian politician. He was a member of Parliament between 1994 and 1998 and was reelected in 2002. Since 2003, he has been the chairman of the Christian Democratic People's Party. Minister without portfolio and Deputy Prime Minister in the second, third, fourth and fifth cabinet of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Semjén became the leader of the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) in 2003 and formed a coalition with Fidesz in 2005.

Studies

After high school Semjén worked in the first half of the 1980s in industrial companies. He studied theology at the Pázmány Péter Catholic University and received a degree in sociology. After that he attended Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. 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. In 2014, he obtained an MA degree in wildlife management from the Faculty of Forestry Engineering of the University of West Hungary.[1]

Academic misconduct controversy

According to an article on 18 November 2012 published by Heti Világgazdaság, Semjén committed acts of academic misconduct, as he allegedly plagiarised around 40% of his 1991 theological doctoral thesis. Some parts of it were resubmitted in his sociology dissertation.[2]

Eötvös Loránd University, which awarded Semjén his degree in sociology, confirmed that there is a significant overlap between the works of Semjén and Molnár. However, they stated that retroactive overriding of the awarding process is unlawful and his degree has not been revoked.[3] Pázmány Péter Catholic University did not conduct an investigation in the case. They announced that they consider the question closed. Semjén has retained his PhD from the institution.[4]

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 one of 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 and would become the deputy leader of KDNP three years later. After the dissolution of the parliamentary faction of KDNP, he joined the Hungarian Democratic Forum. In 1998, Viktor Orbán gave him the position of secretary of state for the church. During this period, an international church summit was organized in Hungary, the disputes with the Apostolic Holy See were settled, state funding of religious education was restored, an agreement was made with the historical churches, and the funding of church institutions performing public tasks was arranged equal to that of the state. In 2002, Zsolt Semjén returned to parliament from a list of Fidesz and the Democrats.

Soon, he rejoined the extra-parliamentary KDNP and in 2003 became chairman. According to his program, the KDNP has remained an independent party in the Fidesz-led alliance that fully accepts the social doctrines of the Christian churches. Under his leadership, the KDNP formed a cooperation agreement with Fidesz in 2005. Following this, he was re-elected in 2006 and 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. They were the only persons present who were not Habsburg family members or clerics.[5]

From May 29, 2010, he is the deputy prime minister of the second Orbán government, the first and general deputy of the prime minister, and the member of the cabinet responsible for national policy.[6]

On April 6, 2014, he received another mandate from second place in the joint national list of the governing parties. When the government was formed in June, he retained both of his posts - general deputy prime minister and minister without portfolio responsible for national policy.[7]

On April 8, 2018, the Fidesz-Christian Democratic People's Party - for the third time - won the parliamentary elections with a two-thirds majority, gaining another mandate from second place on the national list. In Viktor Orbán's fourth government, he is once again general deputy prime minister, minister of national politics, nationality policy, church politics, and church diplomacy.[8]

During his government activities, he was one of the initiators of declaring Good Friday a public holiday.[9] Zsolt Semjén was the submitter of the 1993 LV on Hungarian citizenship. amendment of the law.[10] On November 10, 2017, he announced at the Hungarian Permanent Conference that the one millionth new Hungarian citizen had taken the oath.[11] As a result of the preferential naturalization law, 940,000 people in the Carpathian Basin took the citizenship oath, while 160,000 people in the diaspora received Hungarian citizenship, i.e. 1.1 million became Hungarian citizens in ten years.[12]

Eucharistic congress

The International Eucharistic Congress opened in 2021 with the participation of János Áder and Zsolt Semjén. The Deputy Prime Minister also met Pope Francis, who visited Hungary for the event.[13] Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, Cardinal Péter Erdő, together with the Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, honored Archbishop Gallagher and Cardinal Parolin at the Hungarian Academy in Rome for their work for the Eucharistic Congress.[14]

World Hunting Exhibition

Zsolt Semjén gave the opening speech at the 2021 "ONE WITH NATURE" - World Hunting Exhibition, which was organized in honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1971 World Hunting Exhibition. The politician recommended the organization of the event to the Hungarian hunting community back in September 2011, he announced it at the 2015 FeHoV, and at the 2016 he already announced as a fact that the Government of Hungary also supports the project.[15] The number of visitors to the World Hunting Exhibition set a record. The event lasted twenty days, the central location was visited by a total of 616 thousand people. The rural locations, where the programs were held until the end of 2021, were visited by around 1 million 420 thousand people until October 15. More than 60,000 students participated in the programs at the central location. 514 groups from the country's 386 settlements, 15-16 thousand people from Budapest visited the attractions; moreover, within the framework of the goodwill program, more than 2,300 tickets were requested by organizations helping people with disabilities.[16]

Pope Francis's apostolic journey to Hungary

In February 2023 Matteo Bruni, Director of the Press Office of the Holy See, announced that Pope Francis, accepting an invitation from civic and church dignitaries, would travel to Hungary for an apostolic journey from 28 to 30 April 2023.[17] Representing the Hungarian state, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén was responsible for the Pope's visit, which the Hungarian government declared to be a high-priority event.[18]

Szőlő Street case accusations and political scandal

See also: Szőlő Street scandal

On 8 September 2025, Válasz Online  [hu] published an interview with Gábor Kuslits, a former official of the Budapest Regional Child Protection Service (Tegyesz), who alleged that Péter Pál Juhász, the former director of the Szőlő Street Juvenile Correction Center [hu] (currently under arrest), had facilitated cases of sexual abuse involving politicians and minors from the institution.[19]

In September 2025, an anonymous participant on a podcast hosted by activist Péter Juhász (no relation to Péter Pál Juhász) had claimed that children in another residential home referred to their abuser as "Zsolt bácsi" ("Uncle Zsolt") and later recognised the voice of a senior politician on television.[20] The title of the podcast, Who is Uncle Zsolt?, gained traction on social media.[21]

On 22 September 2025, during a session of the National Assembly, opposition MP Gergely Arató (Democratic Coalition) referenced these allegations by asking Semjén: "Answer, Zsolt Semjén, who is Uncle Zsolti?"[22]

Semjén rejected any connection to the allegations, calling them "a character assassination attempt".[23]

According to a statement by the Ministry of Justice, the rumours were being spread as part of a disinformation campaign allegedly linked to journalist Csaba Káncz - who explicitly stated that boys were taken to Zsolt Semjén,[24][25][26][27][28]- based on payments he had received from a foreign company founded by former British intelligence officers between 2012 and 2016. Káncz stated he was unaware that the business intelligence firm was connected to MI6.[29]

The Prosecution Service of Hungary [hu] later stated that Kuslits was unable to substantiate his claims during questioning and had not provided verifiable evidence.[30] The Ministry of Justice reported that its investigation found no evidence implicating any member of the government in child abuse or trafficking cases.[31]

The author of the Válasz Online article, András Stumpf, subsequently wrote that even though Semjén had often made moralistic statements himself, he must still be protected from unfounded, rumor-based accusations, as fundamental rights and due process apply universally. Stumpf argued that the "Uncle Zsolt" controversy had grown organically out of systemic failures around the Szőlő Street facility, unanswered questions about oversight, opportunistic interpretations, and disinformation, warning that allowing gossip to replace evidence undermines public trust.[32] Independent outlet 444.hu likewise noted that the government's communication about the affair had created further confusion, citing inconsistencies in official statements, premature declarations about the case's outcome, unclear investigative scope, and concerns about potential political interference and lack of transparency.[33]

Mandiner, a pro-government media outlet, however, pointed out that the source of the controversy was that the reporter of the original Válasz Online article did not go into details or ask evidence when the politician's name was mentioned, opening gates for speculations.[34]

On 20 January 2026, a man – presumed by 444.hu to be Csaba Káncz – was indicted by the Prosecution Service for the libel of two high-ranking politicians.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Semjén Zsolt" (PDF).
  2. ^ György, Miklós (18 November 2012). "Plágiumgyanú Semjén Zsolt doktorija körül" (in Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  3. ^ "ELTE állásfoglalás" (in Hungarian). 19 December 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  4. ^ "PKE állásfoglalás" (PDF) (in Hungarian). 20 November 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Heart of Otto von Habsburg interred in Pannonhalma". Politics.hu. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  6. ^ "Második Orbán-kormány", Wikipédia (in Hungarian), 2022-04-24, retrieved 2022-10-03
  7. ^ "Semjén Zsolt életrajza". Semjén Zsolt honlapja (in Hungarian). 24 August 2011. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  8. ^ "Semjén Zsolt életrajza". Semjén Zsolt honlapja (in Hungarian). 24 August 2011. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  9. ^ "Tényleg munkaszüneti nap lehet a nagypéntek". Portfolio.hu (in Hungarian). 18 November 2016. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  10. ^ "ORSZÁGGY ŰLÉSI KÉPVISELŐ" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Kiemelt törekvés a Minority SafePack minél nagyobb arányú támogatása". Kormányzat. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  12. ^ MTI (2019-12-09). "Meghaladta az 1,1 milliót az új magyar állampolgárok száma". ORIGO (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  13. ^ "Ferenc pápa találkozott hazánk közjogi méltóságaival". Magyar Kurír (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  14. ^ "Kitüntetés az Eucharisztikus kongresszusért". Semjén Zsolt honlapja (in Hungarian). 2022-06-08. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  15. ^ "A természet rendjét védjük; minden lénynek megadva a maga sajátos méltóságát". Semjén Zsolt honlapja (in Hungarian). 2021-09-25. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  16. ^ "Kovács Zoltán: Rekordot döntött a Vadászati Világkiállítás látogatóinak száma". hirado.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  17. ^ Juli, Mészáros (2023-02-27). "Ferenc pápa Budapestre látogat, ahol Novák Katalinnal és Orbán Viktorral is találkozik". 444 (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  18. ^ "Semjén Zsolt lesz a 2023-as pápalátogatás kormányzati felelőse". Infostart.hu (in Hungarian). 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  19. ^ Sashegyi, Zsófia (2025-09-08). "Orbán jön? Fenyőgirlandot a vakolatfoltra! – volt vezető vall a hazai gyermekvédelemről | Válasz Online". Válasz Online (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  20. ^ Juhász Péter | Juhi (2025-09-19). Ki az a ZSOLT bácsi? | ROMULUSZ fegyvere | LÁZÁR fia furikázik 🔫 7SÉGEIM #45 (in Hungarian). 19 minutes in. Retrieved 2025-10-23 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Zubor, Zalán (2025-09-26). "This is how deputy PM Zsolt Semjén got involved in the scandal surrounding "Uncle Zsolti"". Átlátszó.hu. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  22. ^ Serdült, Viktória (2025-09-22). "Semjén Zsolt: Soha semmilyen bűnös viszonyhoz nem volt közöm". Heti Világgazdaság (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  23. ^ Faludy, Alexander (2025-09-26). "Hungary's Government Faces Fresh Child Abuse Crisis". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  24. ^ "Visszakapta a laptopját a Semjén Zsolt által feljelentett Káncz Csaba, aki azt állította, kisfiúkat szállítottak a miniszterelnök-helyetteshez". 24.hu (in Hungarian). 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  25. ^ "Káncz Csaba geopolitikai jegyzetei". facebook.com (in Hungarian). 2025-09-13. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  26. ^ "Pletyka így még nem vágta nyakon a Fideszt, mint az, ami a Szőlő utcai ügyben terjedt el". telex.hu (in Hungarian). 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  27. ^ "Káncz Csaba a teljes baloldalt bejárta, most a Szőlő utcai botrány főszereplője". origo.hu (in Hungarian). 2025-09-25. Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  28. ^ Zubor, Zallán (2025-09-25). "Kegyelmi botrány, Schadl-Völner-ügy: mi áll a "Zsolti bácsizás" mögött?". Atlatszo.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-11-19.
  29. ^ Dezső, András (2025-09-24). "Káncz Csaba: Honnan tudtam volna, hogy a vállalkozás, amivel szerződtem, az MI6-hez köthető?". Telex.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  30. ^ "A Központi Nyomozó Főügyészség nyilatkozata az ún. Szőlő utcai ügyről". Prosecution Service of Hungary (in Hungarian). 2025-10-22. Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  31. ^ Barnóczki, Brigitta (2025-09-24). "Tuzson Bence háromoldalas jelentést tett ki a Szőlő utcai javítóintézet ügyéről, az MI6 is szóba kerül benne". Telex.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-10-30.
  32. ^ Stumpf, András (2025-09-26). "Ha nem védjük meg Semjén Zsoltot, olyanok leszünk, mint a NER | Válasz Online". Válasz Online (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  33. ^ Rovó, Attila (2025-09-26). "Sok szempontból csak homályosabbá tette a Szőlő utcai botrány ügyét a kormány azzal, hogy tisztázni akarta Semjént". 444.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  34. ^ Editorial opinion (2025-09-24). "Menekülőre fogta a Válasz Online: már megvédené Semjén Zsoltot az álhírbotrányban". mandiner.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2025-11-14.
  35. ^ Oláh, Zsanett (2026-01-20). "Vádat emeltek egy férfi ellen, aki két vezető politikust rágalmazott meg a Szőlő utcai ügyben". Index.hu (in Hungarian). Retrieved 2026-01-20.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zsolt_Semj%C3%A9n