András Baka elected Hungary’s president VIDEO

András Baka was elected Hungary’s new president on August 11, securing the support of the governing Tisza Party’s two-thirds parliamentary majority.

In a secret ballot, Baka received 140 votes in the 199-seat National Assembly, while six lawmakers voted against him and none abstained. He therefore comfortably passed the 133-vote threshold required for election in the first round, Caliber.Az reports via Hungarian media. 

The broadcast took place on Prime Minister Péter Magyar official YouTube channel. 

Baka, a former president of Hungary’s Supreme Court, was the only candidate to secure the required number of nominations.

“Today at 2:00 p.m., the National Assembly will elect Dr András Baka as President of Hungary. After many years, Hungary will once again have a true head of state,” Magyar wrote on X.

Baka served as president of the Hungarian Supreme Court from 2009 to 2011. He was removed from the position following judicial reforms initiated under then-Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that his removal had violated his rights.

Hungary’s president is elected by parliament through a secret ballot for a five-year term. A candidate must receive written nominations from at least one-fifth of lawmakers, currently 40 MPs, and secure the support of at least two-thirds of all 199 members in the first round.

By Sabina Mammadli