Hungary's parliament elects former supreme court chief András Baka as president

On August 11, 2026, Hungary's parliament elected former Supreme Court chief justice András Baka as president in a 140-6 vote. Nominated by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's ruling Tisza party, Baka succeeds Tamás Sulyok, an Orbán ally ousted via constitutional amendment. The election, boycotted by the opposition Fidesz party, marks a symbolic step in dismantling Viktor Orbán's 16-year political legacy. Baka, who was unlawfully dismissed as chief justice by Orbán in 2011, will oversee the drafting of a new constitution during his transitional term. In his acceptance speech, Baka urged national reconciliation, declaring that Hungary cannot build its future on revenge.

Baka presidential election

• ▪The governing Tisza party nominated András Baka for the presidency on August 8, 2026.
• ▪András Baka was elected as president of Hungary by a parliamentary vote of 140 in favor to 6 against, with no abstentions.
• ▪The Hungarian parliament elected former Supreme Court chief justice András Baka as the country's new president on August 11, 2026.
• ▪András Baka is scheduled to assume the Hungarian presidency on August 19, 2026.

Dismantling Orbán's legacy

• ▪The Hungarian government abolished the Sovereignty Protection Office and established the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office to investigate and prosecute theft of state funds.
• ▪The Hungarian government cancelled states of emergency related to migrants, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine, which former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had used to govern by decree.
• ▪Constitutional Amendments 16 and 17 limited the Hungarian prime minister to two terms and MPs to three terms, while restoring the Constitutional Court's oversight of parliament.
• ▪Prime Minister Péter Magyar's government has passed 27 laws and two constitutional amendments since taking office in early May 2026 to dismantle Viktor Orbán's political legacy.
• ▪Former President Tamás Sulyok was ousted after Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party passed a constitutional amendment ending Sulyok's term, which Sulyok signed in July 2026.
• ▪The Hungarian government suspended public service radio and television broadcasts on July 9, 2026, to revamp news programming and restore independence from Fidesz-era influence.

Fidesz boycott

• ▪The Fidesz party issued a statement accusing the governing Tisza party of tyranny and of arbitrarily and illegitimately terminating Tamás Sulyok's presidential term.
• ▪Members of the opposition Fidesz party boycotted the presidential election on August 11, 2026, in protest of the ousting of former President Tamás Sulyok.

New constitution drafting

• ▪President-elect András Baka will oversee the drafting of a new Hungarian constitution to replace the 2011 constitution enacted under Viktor Orbán.
• ▪Under a constitutional amendment, András Baka will serve as president only until a new constitution takes effect, or for a maximum of five years.
• ▪András Baka promised to facilitate the broadest possible public debate regarding the creation of Hungary's new constitution.

Baka's judicial background

• ▪András Baka has worked as a visiting professor or lecturer at U.S. institutions including the University of Virginia, UC Berkeley, and Columbia University.
• ▪András Baka served as the chief justice of Hungary's Supreme Court from 2009 until he was removed by Viktor Orbán's government in 2011.
• ▪The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2014 that András Baka's 2011 dismissal from the Supreme Court was unlawful and violated his rights.
• ▪András Baka served as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg for 17 years, from 1991 to 2008.

Political polarization concerns

• ▪András Baka expressed opposition to constitutional term limits for members of parliament, calling them an intrusion on voters' rights to choose representatives.
• ▪András Baka stated in his address to parliament that Hungary cannot build its future on revenge, emphasizing the need for justice, self-restraint, and social reconciliation.