President meets visitors at her office to mark 1st anniversary in post

Written by BT/MTI

Katalin Novak, Hungary’s president, greeted and guided around visitors in her Sandor Palace office in a public event marking the first anniversary of taking office, on Sunday.

Welcoming visitors in Sandor Palace is symbolising the president’s policy of open-doors to the public, communications director Vajk Farkas told MTI. President Novak guided groups of visitors through the historic halls and rooms where meetings with foreign dignitaries take place, Farkas said, adding the guests’ book including a note Pope Francis wrote in it during his recent visit was also shown to them.

Among visitors lining up to enter, the president conversed with regular participants at teachers’ demonstrations about their situation and demands. She told them that she agreed with their problem of low wages which she said should be increased irrespective of EU funds. “This is what I’ve said before, and this is what I still think,” the president said.

Later in the day, in a Facebook post, the president thanked the several thousand people for visiting Sandor Palace on the weeekend.

Novak was elected president by parliament on March 10 and was sworn in on May 14 in 2022. She is serving as the sixth president since the 1989/90 change of political system.