Hungary's 'strategic cabinet' held its first session on August 9, the government announced.

Budapest announced in July that it planned to run two cabinets, one 'economic' and the other 'strategic'. Although details about how the cabinets will work are yet unknown, the launch of the twin centres of power appear designed to set up competition amongst senior figures of the governing Fidesz party.

Both of the cabinets “serve as decision-making and preparing organs,”, the government said. The reason for the creation of the twin cabinets is to “allow enough time to prepare decisions thoroughly by including consultations and promoting more effective governance” leader of the Prime Minister’s Office Janos Lazar said in July.

Lazar was appointed as head of the strategic cabinet, while the economic cabinet will be led by minister for national economy Mihaly Varga. The move appears to set up two new candidates that could easily move into the prime minister's chair, if necessary, Heti Valasz suggested in July.

Lazar and Varga will each sit on one other’s cabinets. Justice Minister Laszlo Trocsanyi will also be a permanent member of both cabinets, while other ministers that submit proposals will be members of the cabinets on an ad-hoc basis.

All cabinet sessions will be attended by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Antal Rogan, who leads the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, which is responsible for "general policy coordination and coherent government communication”. It is yet unclear whether the Cabinet Office’s tasks will be modified with the launch of the strategic and economic cabinet.