Hungary’s governing Tisza Party has officially nominated Andras Baka, a former Supreme Court chief, as its candidate for the country’s presidency, according to aljazeera.com. Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced the decision on Saturday following a secret ballot within the party’s parliamentary group, describing the choice as one of its most important decisions so far
as reported by Hungarianconservative.
Tisza Party Nominates Andras Baka for Presidency
Baka, 73, was selected from a final group of three contenders that also included historian Ignac Romsics and independent lawyer Botond Fulop, according to Euronews. Because Tisza holds 141 of the 199 seats in the National Assembly, giving the party a constitutional and two-thirds majority, Baka is widely expected to be elected when parliament votes on August 11, as detailed by UNN and Mezha.
Legal Career and Historical Removal from Office
Andras Baka brings an extensive legal and judicial background to the nomination. Between 1991 and 2008, he served two terms as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, following earlier work at the Institute for Legal Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and as director-general of the College of Public Administration, as noted by Euronews. He also worked as a visiting professor at several American universities and lectured in France and West Germany, according to Mezha, and served briefly as an independent member of parliament affiliated with the Hungarian Democratic Forum from 1990 to 1991.
In 2009, the parliament elected Baka as president of the Supreme Court for a six-year term. However, his tenure was cut short on January 1, 2012, when the government led by then-Prime Minister Viktor Orban reorganized the Supreme Court into the Curia and introduced new rules for its leadership, removing Baka three and a half years early, according to Hungarianconservative. Baka had publicly criticized Orban’s judicial reforms, arguing they threatened the independence of the judiciary, as reported by aljazeera.com and Mezha.
Following his dismissal, Baka successfully challenged the Hungarian state at the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled that his rights to a fair trial and freedom of expression had been violated, a judgment that the Council of Europe stated Hungary failed to fully implement, according to aljazeera.com and Euronews.
Political Context and Selection Controversy
The nomination process for the presidency follows weeks of political upheaval. Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s Tisza party used a constitutional amendment in July to remove Orban-era President Tamas Sulyok from office after Sulyok refused to resign, ending Sulyok’s mandate ahead of schedule on July 20, as outlined by Hungarianconservative and Azernews. Since then, parliamentary speaker Agnes Forsthoffer has carried out presidential duties on an interim basis, according to Hungarianconservative.
Before selecting Baka, Magyar initially nominated women’s world chess champion Judit Polgar in July. That announcement triggered public backlash due to a lack of consultation, prompting Polgar to decline the offer, as detailed by Euronews and Hungarianconservative.
Opposition parties have responded sharply to the political changes. Fidesz and the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) announced they will boycott the August 11 presidential vote, condemning Sulyok’s removal and accusing Tisza of authoritarian tactics, which Tisza denies, according to aljazeera.com and Hungarianconservative.
Ceremonial Powers and Timeline
While the Hungarian presidency carries mostly ceremonial powers with limited authority to veto or refer legislation, Tisza’s nomination of Baka is viewed as heavily symbolic, according to aljazeera.com and Euronews. Tisza lawmakers emphasized that Baka’s decades-long commitment to the separation of powers and the rule of law serves as a vital asset in establishing Hungary’s new constitutional order, as reported by aljazeera.com and Hungarianconservative.
If elected by the National Assembly on Tuesday, August 11, Baka can take office on the eighth day following the announcement of the secret ballot results. This timetable could allow him to assume the post as early as August 19, just one day prior to Saint Stephen’s Day, Hungary’s national holiday on August 20, according to Mezha and Azernews.
