Hungary's Parliament Elects András Baka as President in Post-Orbán Shift

Hungary's Parliament has elected András Baka, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court, as the country's new president. The vote, held by secret ballot on Tuesday, saw 140 lawmakers in favor and six against, with no abstentions. The far-right Fidesz party, led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, boycotted the vote.

Baka, 74, is expected to be sworn in on August 19. While the presidency is largely ceremonial, the office does hold the power to send legislation back to Parliament or to the Constitutional Court for review.

The election is a central move by the government of Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who took office in May. Magyar's administration has argued that removing officials appointed during Orbán's tenure is essential to restoring democratic norms and institutional integrity. The government has also suspended the news service of Hungary's public broadcaster, which it has described as a propaganda tool, and has closed the Sovereignty Protection Office, an agency critics saw as a means to intimidate opponents.

In his first remarks to Parliament after the vote, Baka criticized the performance of Orbán's four successive governments and pointed to the deep social and political polarization that developed during the former leader's 16 years in power. He stressed that while past legal and financial abuses must be investigated and democratic institutions restored, political change should not come through revenge.

"This country cannot build a common future while its citizens see each other as enemies," Baka said. "Political change should not mean that from now on people will have to be afraid, be silent, or feel like outsiders in their own country."

Baka's election follows weeks of efforts by the governing Tisza party to remove the previous president, Tamás Sulyok, who was nominated by Orbán's party in 2024. After Sulyok refused to resign, Tisza passed a constitutional amendment to end his term, which Sulyok signed in July.

Baka served on the European Court of Human Rights from 1991 to 2008 and was chief justice of Hungary's Supreme Court from 2009 until his removal by Orbán's government in 2011, three years before his term was due to end. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that his dismissal violated his rights and was linked to his criticism of the government's judicial reforms. He has also taught at several U.S. universities, including the University of Virginia, the University of California at Berkeley, and Columbia University.