Hungary Picks Former Top Judge as President

The Hungarian Parliament has elected András Baka, the former president of the Supreme Court, who was removed from office by Viktor Orbán’s government in 2012, as the country’s new president. Baka was nominated by the ruling Tisza party of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, which holds a constitutional majority in parliament, according to Bloomberg.

The 73-year-old Baka replaced Tamás Sulyok in the position. Sulyok’s term ended following a constitutional amendment pushed through by Tisza. Magyar had previously described Sulyok as Orbán’s “puppet”, and his departure was one of the new government’s steps aimed at weakening the former prime minister’s influence over state institutions, Al Jazeera explained.

The new president is to remain in office until the new constitution takes effect, but for no longer than five years. Although the office of president in Hungary is largely ceremonial, Baka’s election carries significant symbolic weight.

Baka has had a long career in the judiciary. He served two terms as a judge on the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and in 2009 he became president of the Hungarian Supreme Court, according to NBC News.

He lost his position after publicly criticizing the Orbán government’s reforms, which he believed threatened the independence of the judiciary. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that his dismissal violated his right of access to a court and his freedom of expression.

In announcing his nomination, Tisza particularly highlighted Baka’s emphasis on the separation of powers, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. His election marks another step by Magyar in restructuring state institutions following the April elections, which ended 16 years of Orbán’s rule.

The opposition Fidesz party boycotted the vote and accused Tisza of authoritarian practices. The ruling party rejects these accusations.

(mja)