Hungarian parliament elects Andras Baka president as Fidesz boycotts vote

Parliamentary vote

Hungary's National Assembly elected Andras Baka, a 73-year-old lawyer and former president of the Supreme Court, as the country's new president on Tuesday, 11 August. Baka was the sole candidate, nominated by the ruling Tisza party of Prime Minister Péter Magyar. The vote saw 146 of 199 deputies participate, with 140 in favour and 6 against; no invalid or abstaining votes were recorded. Deputies had 40 minutes to cast ballots and 20 minutes for counting. The largest opposition party, Fidesz, associated with former prime minister Viktor Orban, boycotted the proceedings entirely. After the result was announced, historical Hungarian flags were brought into the chamber, the national anthem was played, and Baka took the oath before deputies.

First non-Fidesz president since 2010

Baka is the first Hungarian president since the end of László Sólyom's term in 2010 who is not politically affiliated with Fidesz. His predecessor, Tamás Sulyok, was elected by a parliament then dominated by Fidesz in 2024. Sulyok left office on 20 July after the new parliament passed a constitutional amendment that, among other provisions, provided for his removal. After Sulyok's mandate expired, parliamentary speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer served as acting head of state. Baka will formally take office on 19 August, the eighth day after the result, one day before St. Stephen's Day, Hungary's most important national holiday.

A career marked by conflict with Orban

Born on 11 December 1952 in Budapest, Baka studied law at Eötvös Loránd University from 1973 to 1978. He served as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights for 17 years starting in 1991, and in June 2009 was appointed president of the Supreme Court by the government of Gordon Bajnai. His six-year mandate was cut short in January 2012, when Orban's government passed constitutional amendments that removed him three years before his term ended and replaced the Supreme Court with a new body, the Kuria, headed by Péter Darák. Fidesz introduced a requirement that candidates for the Kuria presidency needed at least five years of judicial experience in Hungary, and Baka's nearly 17 years at the ECHR were not counted. The ECHR later ruled that Baka's removal was linked to his criticism of the government and violated his right to freedom of expression, awarding him €100,000 in compensation.

Inaugural address

In his speech, Baka said he accepted the nomination because he believed Hungary had reached a point requiring serious reflection on the functioning of the state.

Hungary has reached a period in its history in which a serious reconsideration of the functioning of the state, constitutionalism, and the community of the country is necessary.

He added that the nation had wasted an entire generation, falling from the position of a leader of systemic change to that of a country merely sending troops. Baka stressed that the election result alone does not restore the rule of law and spoke of the need to rebuild democratic institutions. He argued that in a healthy political culture, criticism should not be treated as treason, limits on power as obstacles, political opponents as enemies, or compromise as a sign of weakness.

Term and powers

Under current regulations, Baka will serve until a new constitution prepared by the authorities takes effect, but no longer than five years. The Hungarian presidency is primarily a representative office, though it includes a limited veto power and the ability to refer laws back to parliament for reconsideration.