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Outgoing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will not attend the informal European Council meeting in Cyprus next week, an EU official told POLITICO.
Orbán suffered a crushing defeat in Sunday's general election, which ended his 16-year term as prime minister. He was scheduled to attend the two-day summit on April 23-24, during which national leaders will discuss the Middle East crisis and the bloc's next seven-year budget.
The nationalist-populist leader remains Hungary's interim prime minister until his rival, Péter Magyar, takes power in May.
In accordance with Council rules, Orbán will be represented at the meeting by another national leader. His ally, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, is likely to take on this role.
Orbán has long been a divisive figure in the Council, frequently using his veto to block sanctions on Russia and EU aid for Ukraine. During last month’s summit of EU leaders, Council President António Costa said his behavior amounted to “blackmail” and was “completely unacceptable.”
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