András Baka Elected as New President of Hungary

The Hungarian parliament today elected former Supreme Court President András Baka as President of the Republic, Reuters reports.

Baka was elected to the largely ceremonial post with the votes of the ruling Tisza party, as members of the opposition Fidesz party, led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, did not participate in the vote.

In his speech after taking the oath of office, Baka criticized the previous government, stating that during Orbán’s tenure, one party had captured the state, the branches of power were not separated, and there was no functional system for checks and balances.

He stated that the task of building a new future for Hungary requires both justice and restraint, adding that the role of the president is to represent citizens with differing views.

“There is one thing we certainly cannot do: we cannot build a new Hungary on revenge,” Baka said.

The victory of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party in the April elections ended Orbán’s 16-year rule. Magyar has pledged to restore democratic standards and has called on key officials appointed or elected by Orbán’s Fidesz to resign.

For Magyar, an important goal was the removal of former President Tamás Sulyok, whom the Hungarian prime minister referred to as Orbán’s puppet. Last month, Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment passed by parliament that ended his presidential term.

According to the amendment, the new president will serve until the new constitution comes into force, or for a maximum of five years.