Key actors — tap for context
András Baka
Hungarian legal scholar, served two terms as judge at the European Court of Human Rights, president of the Hungarian Supreme Court since 2009.
Why here: According to Index, favorite for president — Orbán's constitutional amendment removed him from the head of the court and he later won in Strasbourg.
More info →
Péter Magyar
Head of the Tisza party and since May 2026 Hungarian prime minister, who after the April election victory replaced Viktor Orbán.
Why here: Selects the presidential candidate and his party has a two-thirds majority in parliament necessary for his election.
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Tamás Sulyok
Former chairman of the Hungarian Constitutional Court, elected president of Hungary in 2024 following Katalin Novák's resignation.
Why here: His mandate was ended by the 17th amendment of the constitution, which he himself signed — Tuesday's election fills the vacant seat.
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Ágnes Forsthoffer
Speaker of the Hungarian parliament for the Tisza party, worked in tourism before her political career as a hotel director.
Why here: Since Sulyok's departure temporarily exercises presidential powers and ranked fourth in an aHang poll.
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Viktor Orbán
Hungarian prime minister in 1998–2002 and 2010–2026, head of Fidesz party.
Why here: His constitutional majority in 2011 removed Baka from the head of the Supreme Court; his party is now boycotting Tuesday's election.
More info →Tisza
Hungarian ruling party, taken over by Péter Magyar in 2024 and which won the April 2026 parliamentary elections with 141 seats.
Why here: As the only club besides Fidesz able to field a candidate and has enough votes to elect him alone.
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Fidesz
Hungarian right-wing party of Viktor Orbán, ruled in 2010–2026 and after April's defeat has a 44-member faction.
Why here: Boycotts the election, considers Sulyok's removal illegitimate and claims the presidential post is not vacant.
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Ignác Romsics
Hungarian historian, university professor and regular member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, recipient of the Széchenyi Prize.
Why here: One of the names Magyar met with, but did not identify himself as a suitable candidate.
More info →Botond Fülöp
Hungarian lawyer known as the "rural prosecutor" who previously worked at the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Why here: In 2024 noticed a Court of Justice ruling that triggered the presidential pardon scandal and Katalin Novák's fall.
More info →Adrienn Laczó
Former criminal judge, now lawyer representing victims in the Golden Convoy case.
Why here: Won the aHang civil poll, nominated by publicist Róbert Puzsér and legal academics.
Judit Polgár
Hungarian chess grandmaster, the strongest female chess player in history.
Why here: Declined Magyar's offer for presidential candidacy in July citing the country's deep divisions.
More info →European Court of Human Rights
Court of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg which rules on violations of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Why here: In 2016 ruled in Baka's favor and found that Hungarian law targeted him specifically.
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Mi Hazánk
Hungarian far-right party with six seats in parliament.
Why here: Proposed energy lawyer Máty Tóth but lacks dozens of signatures needed for a valid nomination.
More info →Bertalan Havasi
Communications director of Fidesz, for years served as press chief to Viktor Orbán.
Why here: Stated that there is no vacant presidential position and Tuesday's election is unnecessary.
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Sándor's Palace
Baroque palace at Buda Castle, official residence of the Hungarian president.
Why here: Fidesz announced that whoever Magyar moves in, they will consider illegitimate president.
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Katalin Novák
Hungarian politician, president of Hungary in 2022–2024 for Fidesz.
Why here: Resigned over the presidential pardon scandal triggered by Fülöp — her resignation paved the way for Sulyok.
More info →
Curia
Highest court of Hungary, returned to its historical name in 2011 through renaming the Supreme Court.
Why here: The renaming of the Supreme Court to Curia ended Baka's term as president.
More info →Voting decided by arithmetic
- Done: parliament elected András Baka as president, takes office on August 19 Telex ↗24.hu ↗Portfolio ↗
- In his first speech he said: "We cannot build a new Hungary on revenge" Telex ↗
- He did not spare the NER, but also sent a message to the new power Telex ↗
- Fidesz and KDNP do not consider him president HVG ↗Index ↗
- János Bóka says Fidesz's goal is to correct the "illegitimate situation" around Baka HVG ↗
- The Constitutional Court is meanwhile reviewing Fidesz's submissions against constitutional amendments and a constitutional lawyer warns of a serious crisis Index ↗24.hu ↗
- Congratulations came from Zelensky as well as from Orbán's ally Vučić Telex ↗444 ↗Portfolio ↗
- The same day a company owned by Lőrinc Mészáros was excluded from EU funds — according to 444 this could affect others 444 ↗
- Bóka admits that Fidesz is in a period "after the big bang" and its previous strategy may no longer work Telex ↗Index ↗
- Voting is taking place today — both Index and HVG have it on today's parliamentary agenda Index ↗HVG ↗
- 444: "Péter Magyar did not do it flawlessly, but he pulled it off" — according to the newspaper, Baka's election symbolically ends the NER era 444 ↗
- Even the pro-government Magyar Nemzet admits that Baka will leave behind several phantom candidates Magyar Nemzet ↗
- An extraordinary session begins today with a speech by Péter Magyar, voting on the president takes place on Tuesday. Népszava ↗
- It is a two-day extraordinary session — in addition to the election of the head of state, several important bill proposals are on the agenda. Magyar Nemzet ↗
- Index calls it one of the most important parliamentary sessions since the change of government — along with the budget. Index ↗
- New deputies are taking their seats in the chamber and Portfolio suggests that Viktor Orbán may withdraw from Hungarian politics. Portfolio ↗
- The election is also presented as a done deal in foreign newsrooms. Danish DR, Lithuanian LRT and Austrian ORF report it in one sentence: the ruling party wants to put a critic of Orbán in the post. DR ↗LRT ↗ORF ↗
For a name to appear on the ballot at all, it needs written recommendation from at least a fifth of deputies, that is 40 out of 199. Each deputy may recommend only one candidate — whoever signs multiple endorsements forfeits all of them. Proposals are submitted by Monday at 10:00, at half past twelve they will be taken over by the parliamentary committee. Telex ↗
In the current parliament, only two clubs will exceed this threshold. Tisza has 141 seats, the Fidesz faction 44. Neither KDNP nor Mi Hazánk can independently field their own candidate — although Mi Hazánk proposed energy lawyer Máty Tóth last week, without the support of other clubs it is rather a symbolic gesture. Since Fidesz and KDNP are boycotting the election, there will most likely be only one name on the ballot. Telex ↗
In the first round, a two-thirds majority of all deputies is needed, that is 133 votes. Tisza has eight more than that. The elected president will take office eight days after the announcement of the result, that is on August 19, the day before the state holiday of Saint Stephen. According to the 17th amendment of the constitution, his mandate will last only until the new constitution, which Magyar is preparing, comes into effect, but at most five years. Telex ↗
The Favorite is a Man Removed by a Constitutional Amendment
- Security analyst Tarjányi named what will be Baka's greatest test Index ↗
- HVG describes him as the antithesis of Magyar Péter, who can restore prestige to the office HVG ↗
- The election was also picked up by Irish and Moldovan media The Irish Times ↗Ziarul de Gardă ↗
- NZZ sums it up in one sentence for German-speaking audiences: Orbán's critic is to become Hungary's new president Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗
- The election is also being followed by Scandinavian and Baltic media — Aftonbladet, Bulgarian Dnevnik, Finnish Yle and Latvian Diena Aftonbladet ↗Dnevnik ↗Diena ↗
- Yle adds a personal dimension: a Finnish colleague from the Strasbourg court speaks fondly of Baka Yle ↗
- Portfolio revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the selection: a Tisza politician described how Baka became the faction's candidate for head of state. Portfolio ↗
- 24.hu asked experts whether Baka can be both polarizing and unifying at the same time — and Róna Dániel adds that from Tisza's perspective, he could be a good president. 24.hu ↗Telex ↗
- Index raised an uncomfortable question: why Baka supported a complaint by János Korbely, convicted in the 1956 Tate shooting case. Index ↗
- Baka himself tempers expectations: "Even with a two-thirds majority, not everything can be done." 444 ↗
- Lawyer Botond Fülöp, who was also mentioned: "They couldn't find a better head of state than Baka right now." Népszava ↗
- Népszava writes about "András Baka's luck" — about the coincidence that brought a man sidelined by constitutional amendment to the threshold of the presidential palace. Népszava ↗
- Confirmed: Tisza's faction decided on Saturday and the candidate is András Baka. Magyar Péter announced that Baka accepted the nomination — Index's favorite thus became the official name on the ballot. Portfolio ↗Népszava ↗
- HVG portrays Baka in a sentence that sums up the entire arc: "He got a chance from Fidesz, but in the end, they named a law after him." This is the "lex Baka" — a measure that deprived him of office. HVG ↗
Over the summer, Magyar was photographed with several names under consideration by his deputy Bálint Ruff. On Wednesday, András Baka joined them, and according to Index's consistent information, this photograph could retroactively serve as the first shared shot of the prime minister and the future head of state. Telex is more cautious and only admits that the candidate could emerge from one of Magyar's meetings. Index.hu ↗ Telex ↗
It is Baka's biography that makes Tuesday's election symbolically explosive. From 1991, he served two terms as a Hungarian judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg; in 2009, he became the president of Hungary's Supreme Court with a six-year mandate. When he publicly criticized the planned judicial reform in parliament in November 2011, proposals appeared shortly thereafter that paved the way for early termination of his mandate. The conversion of the Supreme Court into the Curia deprived him of office three years before the end of his term. Strasbourg Observers ↗
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled in his favor on June 23, 2016, by a vote of 15:2. It rejected the Hungarian government's argument that his removal was merely a side effect of a broader reform, and concluded that although the measure was written in general terms, it actually affected one person and had a chilling effect on judges willing to engage in public debate. The ruling came from the Strasbourg court of the Council of Europe — when today we speak of a "European" verdict in Baka's case, it must be distinguished from the Court of Justice of the European Union. HUDOC (ESĽP) ↗
Index notes the paradox itself. A constitutional amendment by Orbán's two-thirds majority removed Baka — and the seat now being sought was vacated by a constitutional amendment of Tisza's two-thirds majority. The same instrument, opposite direction.
Read also: Sulyok signed an amendment that will end his mandate
Who Else Is in the Running
- The other candidate who was mentioned publicly congratulated Baka — the competition within Tisza thus closed without contention. (HVG ↗)Besides Baka, Magyar met with historian Ignác Romsics, who did not present himself as a suitable candidate, and with lawyer Botond Fülöp. The latter noticed an inconspicuous Court ruling in 2024, from which developed the presidential pardon case that led to the resignation of President Katalin Novák. According to Index, however, the parliamentary majority did not back him. Index.hu ↗
A citizen poll by the aHang organization, which involved over 60,000 people, showed a different ranking: it was won by former criminal judge Adrienn Laczó ahead of lawyer Péter Bárány and former MP Ákos Hadházy. The methodology also took into account the rejection of candidates, so it is not a simple ranking based on positive votes. Index.hu ↗
A third picture comes from the prediction market Polymarket: on Thursday afternoon, Fülöp led with 29 percent, narrowly ahead of Laczó with 28 percent. Baka does not appear on the list at all. Bettors choose from a fixed eight-name pool, which still includes names that have already publicly declined candidacy — Judit Polgár and Ignác Romsics. So the numbers speak more to how the market is set up than to how the parliamentary faction will decide. Index.hu ↗
The candidate selection itself has its critics. In July, Magyar called on the public to submit suggestions, and barely a day later announced that chess player Judit Polgár would be the most suitable, though she ultimately declined the offer. Opposition MPs and NGOs argue that the promised public consultation never took place. Magyar responded that Tisza only requested recommendations and the decision belongs to the parliamentary faction. Portal 444 summed up the entire maneuver tersely: on Saturday, the prime minister promised not to look for a candidate in smoke-filled rooms, and by Sunday evening he had a name. Euronews ↗ 444.hu ↗
Magyar meanwhile reiterates that the head of state should be without party affiliation or ties. Baka meets this criterion despite a single political episode: in 1990, he obtained a parliamentary mandate on the Hungarian Democratic Forum's ticket, but as a non-partisan, and already in 1991 he relinquished it when he was elected as a judge in Strasbourg. HVG ↗
Fidesz: There is no vacancy on the post
- Two new Fidesz MPs were unable to recite the oath text — a video from parliament made the rounds in Hungarian media. HVG ↗
- Four leading government MPs did not vote for verification of the mandate of a former ministry spokesperson, the verification was accompanied by "a side show". HVG ↗Index ↗
- Magyar Nemzet opens a second line of attack: "Magyar didn't keep this promise either — Baka is not a non-partisan candidate." Magyar Nemzet ↗
- And the second argument from the Fidesz camp: Magyar cannot handle a strong president, which is why he chose Baka. Magyar Nemzet ↗
- KDNP claims that Baka wants to take revenge on Fidesz, while Fidesz outright labels him illegitimate. The election boycott thus received substantive justification. HVG ↗Népszava ↗Telex ↗
- Magyar Nemzet attacks through 1956: in the year of the 70th anniversary of the revolution, the country will have a president who "freed the killer of the revolutionaries". This refers to Baka's involvement in trials regarding volleys into crowds. Magyar Nemzet ↗
Fidesz refuses to acknowledge that the presidential post has been vacated at all. "A waste of effort, there is no vacancy on the post," party communications director Bertalan Havasi told the MTI news agency, adding that the last legitimately elected Hungarian president is Tamás Sulyok. He noted that after the restoration of a democratic rule of law, such an appointment can be revoked with one stroke of the pen. Mandiner ↗
The Fidesz parliamentary club announced on Wednesday evening on Facebook that it will not participate in the vote, and whoever moves into Sándor Palace will be an illegitimate president in its view. This is a continuation of July's "declaration of resistance," in which the party declared the new constitutional order illegitimate and signaled it would not participate in filling positions of recalled officials. The club's statement ends with two words: Tisza's absolute puppet. It is an exact mirror response — Magyar justified Sulyok's recall by saying the president was Orbán's puppet. Népszava ↗ Euronews ↗
This is not the first such boycott. Parliament elected constitutional judge Pál Sonnevend in the same manner on July 27 — Fidesz skipped the vote and Tisza's candidate passed without it. Aktuality.sk ↗
What was missed in Slovak coverage
- Paks came online: after the Danube water level rose, two turbines are producing electricity again, announced Magyar Péter Telex ↗Portfolio ↗Népszava ↗
- Cyber attack on the State Treasury: according to Népszava, hackers could have accessed databases for pensions and family benefits Népszava ↗
- The GKI Institute calculates that Romanian and Polish economies have permanently and steeply diverged from the Hungarian one 444 ↗HVG ↗
- Magyar Nemzet opened a new line of attack on the Tisza government: "it turned out Gyurcsány-style," it writes about predicted public anger over economic sleights of hand Magyar Nemzet ↗
- Bulgarian 24 Chasa warns that Audi, BMW and Mercedes are concerned about their Hungarian factories due to the state of the Danube 24 Chasa ↗
- Cheap fuel is a thing of the past according to Telex and could become much more expensive; meanwhile, employers proposed slowing minimum wage growth Telex ↗Portfolio ↗
- Index formulates a test facing Baka as a choice between two roles: "bridge builder, or gray pen-pusher". And adds that the outcome could cost Magyar dearly as well. Index ↗
- Karácsony: With Baka's election, the era of NER ends. Budapest's mayor thus gave the election a symbolic frame that did not make it into news agency reports. Index ↗
- Political Capital immediately points out why Baka will face a difficult task — a president without party backing in a parliament controlled by a two-thirds majority. 24.hu ↗
- Le Monde and France 24 called Baka "the judge who said no to Orbán". French media thus reduce the entire story to the Strasbourg judgment — precisely that arc missing from Slovak coverage. Le Monde ↗France 24 ↗
Slovak and Czech media captured the story through news agency reports, whose common denominator is the statement that the candidate is still unknown. This is true, but it obscures something more essential: with a threshold of 40 signatures and a Fidesz boycott, Tuesday's vote outcome is predetermined by what happens Saturday at one party's club. It contains neither Baka's name nor the fact that the new president's mandate is temporary under the 17th amendment and tied to the adoption of a new constitution. Aktuality.sk ↗ TERAZ.sk ↗
The limits of this perspective must be acknowledged. Hungarian journalism on this matter is sharply polarized — Index and Telex report on the mechanics of the election, while Mandiner and Fidesz party communications frame it as a power grab. No independent verdict on the constitutionality of the 17th amendment has yet been issued. The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe announced to Sulyok that his motion will not be addressed in the originally announced urgent procedure, but in ordinary proceedings — it is scheduled for the October plenary session. Fidesz's complaint currently lies at the Constitutional Court, into which Tisza's majority has already placed a new judge. Telex ↗
What hotinfo is following
- Whom Tisza's parliamentary caucus picks on Saturday and whether it will be András Baka.
- Whether anyone other than Tisza files a valid nomination by 10 a.m. on Monday.
- The result of Tuesday's vote — whether Tisza gathers the 133 votes needed in the first round.
- The new president taking office on August 19 and his first appearance on St Stephen's Day, August 20.
- The Constitutional Court's ruling on the Fidesz complaint and the Venice Commission's October plenary opinion on the 17th amendment.
- **Settled:** Tisza's caucus picked András Baka, no other valid nomination appeared and Tuesday's vote passed. Still open are his taking office on August 19, his first appearance on St Stephen's Day, and the Constitutional Court's ruling.
- **This is the last update to this article.** The vote has taken place, so what follows — Fidesz's dispute over Baka's legitimacy, the Constitutional Court proceedings and his first steps in office — we are tracking in a separate article.
