The Hungarian Parliament has elected Orbán critic András Baku as president
On Tuesday, the Hungarian Parliament elected 73-year-old lawyer András Baku—a former chief justice of the Supreme Court and a critic of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—as the country’s new president. He will replace Tamás Szujok, whose presidential term was cut short following constitutional amendments.
140 lawmakers voted in favor of Baku’s appointment, while six voted against it. Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s conservative, pro-European TISZA party holds 141 seats in parliament. Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, represented by 52 members of parliament, boycotted the vote in protest.
According to Deutsche Welle, Baka took the oath of office after the vote and addressed the parliamentarians. He urged them not to build a “new Hungary” on the basis of revenge and promised to encourage public and professional discourse and to uphold the openness and impartiality of parliament. The new president also stated that the process of drafting the constitution should not once again become the exclusive project of a single political force.
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András Baka served as a member of parliament from 1990 to 1991 and subsequently served as a judge on the European Court of Human Rights for nearly 20 years. In 2009, he returned to Hungary and became president of the Supreme Court. In December 2011, following Orbán’s return to power, Baka was removed from office three years before the end of his term.
Péter Magyar described Baka’s life as an example of dedication to the democratic rule of law and constitutional principles. At the same time, the early removal of Szujok—who had been appointed president in 2024 and was considered an ally of Orbán—drew criticism. Fidesz and its allies in the KDNP called the move “tyrannical” and “illegitimate,” while Magyar linked it to the systemic changes promised after the election.
