Hungary: Orban critic András Baka becomes new president

Change of power in Hungary

Orbán critic is the new president

The Hungarian parliament has elected András Baka as the new head of state. The former president of the Supreme Court received 140 out of 146 votes cast.

The parliament in Hungary elected the former President of the Supreme Court, Andras Baka, as the new President. The critic of long-time head of government Viktor Orbán, who was voted out in April, received 140 yes and six no votes in the vote in Budapest on Tuesday. The presidential office became vacant after the previous head of state Tamas Sulyok, an ally of Orbán, was forced out of office early in July through a constitutional change.

The faction of the ruling party Tisza announced on Saturday that it had nominated the former President of the Supreme Court for the office of head of state. The Orbán critic’s election was considered safe given Tisza’s two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.

The Tizsa deputies explained that after discussions with ten candidates, the party leadership proposed three of them. In a secret vote, the choice fell on Baka.

András Baka has decades of legal and judicial experience, both in Hungary and internationally. From 1990 to 1998 he was Director General of the School of Public Administration, and from 1991 to 2008 he was a judge at the European Court of Human Rights. In 2009, the National Assembly elected him President of the Supreme Court.