Hungary’s ruling Tisza party has nominated András Baka, former Supreme Court judge, as the next president, the party’s parliamentary group announced on Saturday in a social media post. Parliament is expected to elect Baka on Tuesday as the new head of state, a largely ceremonial role in the Central European country. This is a symbolic step in Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s conservative attempt to dismantle the power strongholds of his predecessor, the ultra Viktor Orbán, who ruled the country for 16 years.
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After achieving a landslide victory in the April elections and taking office last May, Magyar pushed through a constitutional reform in July to end the term of then-president Tamás Sulyok, a political ally of Orbán. Magyar has committed to restoring democratic standards and has called for the resignation of key officials appointed or elected by Fidesz, Orbán’s party. The removal of Sulyok was a key objective for Magyar, who described him as a “puppet” of the previous government.
Following Sulyok’s departure, chess grandmaster Judit Pólgar declined Magyar’s offer to serve as the country’s president until a new Constitution is approved, a process set to begin in the fall. The chess legend, with no political affiliations, explained on the social network Facebook that she was very grateful to the prime minister for considering her, but added: “I do not feel strong enough to take on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation, so I cannot accept the request.” Agnes Forsthoffer, a member of Tisza and president of the Hungarian Parliament, has been serving as interim president since July.
Tisza legislators have emphasized that Baka has always “given paramount importance to the principle of separation of powers, systematically defending the rule of law and judicial independence.” “We are convinced that Dr. Andras Baka’s experience and the professional independence he has demonstrated throughout his career represent an important asset at a time when we are preparing to jointly lay the foundations of Hungary’s new constitutional order,” the ruling party legislators added.
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The constitutional amendment approved by Tisza’s parliamentary majority establishes that the new president will remain in office until a new Constitution comes into effect or for a maximum of five years. Baka, a former judge of the European Court of Human Rights, was removed from his position as Supreme Court president by Orbán’s government in 2011, three years before his term ended.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2014 that Hungary had dismissed Baka due to his criticisms of the government and that his removal harmed democratic freedoms in the country. Orbán’s government rejected such accusations. According to Hungary’s current Constitution, the president is a head of state with limited powers to veto laws or request their review. Fidesz, now in opposition, announced it would not participate in the presidential election process and accused Tisza of applying authoritarian policies, accusations the ruling party denied.
