Hungary’s Magyar taps blind ‘daredevil’ to lead Social Affairs Ministry

There are concerns that Vilmos Katai-Nemeth, a lawyer and aikido black belt, could become a symbolic “figurehead,” according to media reports

Hungary's incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar, has picked a blind lawyer to become the cabinet minister responsible for DEI affairs as part of a sweeping government overhaul following Viktor Orban’s election defeat.

Magyar made the announcement on X on Friday, naming Vilmos Katai-Nemeth, 52, alongside transport pick David Vitezy. “For the first time in Hungary’s history, a blind Hungarian citizen… will lead the Ministry of Social and Family Affairs – including responsibility for accessibility and equal opportunities,” he wrote.

Katai-Nemeth has struggled with vision problems since childhood and lost his sight at 16 due to a hereditary retinal atrophy disease. However, he went on to qualify as a lawyer, and is a practicing attorney. He also earned a black belt in aikido – the first blind master in this disciple in the world – and has developed a self-defense system for the visually impaired.

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The incoming minister joined the Tisza party in 2024, and in 2026 won a parliamentary election in one of the Budapest constituencies by a comfortable margin. During the campaign, Katai-Nemeth accused Orban’s Fidesz party of treating people with disabilities “in a paternalistic, subordinate manner,” adding that “even a blind person can see that there are problems.”

In his new capacity, Katai-Nemeth will be working on improving healthcare access, child protection reform, and equal opportunities.

Some local media reports, however, have sounded skepticism over the appointee, pointing to his limited political experience and lack of familiarity with government machinery. According to Hungarian Conservative, a local media outlet, there is a possibility that Katai-Nemeth’s role will be reduced to that of a “figurehead,” with Bodis Krisztina, a veteran social policy expert and Magyar’s advisor, holding much more real power.

During his campaign, Magyar – who is generally considered a conservative – vowed to rebuild relations with the EU, but avoided open advocacy of LGBTQ rights, saying only that he wants a country where “no one is stigmatized for thinking or loving differently than the majority.”

However, earlier this week, the EU’s top court found Hungary’s 2021 ‘child protection’ law – which banned portrayals of homosexuality and gender reassignment in children’s media – “illegal.”

Later, Hungarian authorities received a request to register the first-ever LGBTQ-themed television channel in the country, reportedly dubbed Rainbow TV.