András Baka expected to become Hungary’s next president
Parliamentary vote will likely install the former top judge as a largely ceremonial head of state as the government seeks to reduce Viktor Orbán's institutional hold.
Hungary's parliament is set to elect András Baka, the former president of the Supreme Court who was dismissed after clashing with Viktor Orbán, as the country's new president in a move led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar to curtail his predecessor's remaining influence on state institutions.
The nomination came from the ruling Tisza party, which holds a two‑thirds majority in the legislature and is expected to secure the 73‑year‑old Baka's election in the first round without opposition backing. Voting in parliament begins at 14:00.
Baka served as Hungary's judge at the European Court of Human Rights from 1991 to 2008 and was appointed president of the Supreme Court in 2009. He was removed in 2012 after condemning Orbán's decision to lower the retirement age for judges from 70 to 62, a step he called a purge.
Political context and controversy
The presidency became vacant last month after the contested removal of Tamás Sulyok, a former president and ally of Orbán, whose term was shortened through a constitutional amendment that formed part of broader reforms. The Tisza party won April elections, ending 16 years of Orbán's rule and campaigning on a promise of a “system change.”
Human rights groups criticised Sulyok's dismissal, comparing legal interventions to methods previously used to build Orbán's “illiberal” system. The Fidesz party and its ally KDNP announced a boycott of the vote, calling Sulyok's removal “tyrannical” and “illegitimate.”
Commenting on the nomination, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Baka’s life is "an example of dedication to democratic rule of law and constitutional principles" and stressed that Hungary must "return to the path of the rule of law and constitutionality."
Baka himself has limited political experience beyond a short parliamentary term in 1990 on the list of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF). He has criticised the use of extraordinary legal measures under Orbán: "In the rule of law, such extraordinary measures should not be used, but under Orbán, Hungary became a captured state," he said last month.
Analyst Bulchu Zhiga of the Center for Fair Political Analysis said, "The appointment of Baka as president is a guarantee that the renewal of liberal democracy will follow a clearly defined path."
Last month Prime Minister Magyar offered the presidency to chess legend Judit Polgár, who declined following public backlash after the premier did not consult citizens as he had promised. The new president is expected to serve only the remainder of the outgoing mandate while a process to replace the Orbán‑era constitution with a new text — to be drafted with broad public participation — is carried out; the government estimates constitutional work will take between one and one and a half years and plans consultations to begin next month.
Photo: EPA-EFE/Noemi Bruzak HUNGARY OUT
