Magyar's Tisza party puts forward ex-top judge as Hungarian presidential nominee
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party has nominated former supreme court head András Baka for the country's presidency, with a parliamentary vote scheduled for next Tuesday.
Hungary's ruling Tisza party, led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, has put forward former supreme court chief András Baka as its candidate for the presidency. In a statement, the party described him as the strongest guarantee that the presidential office will regain its genuine dignity and its capacity to unite the nation while acting as a counterweight to the parliamentary majority.
Lawmakers are due to vote on Baka's candidacy next Tuesday. Because Tisza secured victory in this spring's general election and holds a two-thirds majority in parliament, his confirmation to the largely ceremonial post is widely seen as a formality.
The nomination follows the removal of former President Tamás Sulyok from office last month, after he signed a constitutional amendment enabling his own departure. That move came after months of public pressure driven by Magyar, who had demanded Sulyok's resignation once Tisza's decisive election win brought an end to Viktor Orbán's 16-year hold on power.
Magyar's initial pick for the presidency, chess grandmaster Judit Polgár, turned down the nomination, saying the role would involve too much stress.
