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Hungary's Tisza Party Puts Former Supreme Court Chief Andras Baka Forward for Presidency

The ruling Tisza party has nominated ex-Supreme Court president Andras Baka as the next head of state, with a parliamentary vote slated for Tuesday.

Hungary's governing Tisza party declared on social media that former Supreme Court chief Andras Baka will stand for the largely ceremonial presidency, with parliament set to elect him on Tuesday. The nomination is presented as part of Prime Minister Peter Magyar's broader effort to dismantle structures established under Viktor Orban, whose 16-year tenure concluded after a landslide victory in April. Tisza legislators highlighted Baka's commitment to the separation of powers and judicial independence as assets for a new constitutional order.

Baka, previously removed from the Supreme Court by Orban's government in 2011, later served on the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled his ouster violated democratic freedoms. The opposition Fidesz party announced it will boycott the presidential election, accusing Tisza of authoritarian tendencies, a charge the ruling party rejects.

Why it matters

The nomination signals Hungary's attempt to reshape its political institutions after a historic shift in power.

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presidential nominationSupreme Courtconstitutional orderparliamentary votepolitical transitionjudicial independenceHungarian politics