Hungary's PM nominates chess grandmaster for president

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has proposed chess legend Judit Polgar as the country's next president, saying Hungary needs a head of state "every Hungarian can be proud of" following the departure of President Tamas Sulyok.

In a Facebook post, Magyar said he planned to meet Polgar on July 20 to ask whether she would be willing to serve as president until Hungary adopts a new constitution, Bloomberg reports.

Polgar, 49, is widely regarded as the greatest female chess player in history. She held the world No. 1 ranking among women for 26 consecutive years and became the youngest chess grandmaster in history at the age of 15. She is also the subject of the 2026 Netflix documentary Queen of Chess, which follows her journey to "conquering the male-dominated world of international chess."

Sulyok's departure follows his signing into law of a constitutional amendment on Saturday that ended his own presidential term. The move fulfilled one of Magyar's key campaign promises to remove senior officials appointed during former Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16 years in power.

"The presidency is not a profession or a job, but the highest form of public service," Magyar wrote on Facebook.

He added that Polgar was "a person capable of representing all Hungarians and helping promote 'unity and peace.'"

"The acclaim she enjoys stems not from political affiliations or connections, but from her exceptional talent, diligence, unparalleled capacity for hard work, and integrity," Magyar said.

Hungary's parliament, where Magyar's Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority, is expected to elect a new president before the country's national holiday on Aug. 20.

By Sabina Mammadli