On August 12, Hungary's parliament confirmed Andras Baka, 73, as the country's president in a secret ballot, with 140 votes in favor, 6 against, and no abstentions. Baka, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court, was nominated on August 9 by the Tisza party, which holds a constitutional supermajority of more than two-thirds of the seats.
During the nomination speech, Tisza lawmakers stressed that Baka's experience would be a "major asset" as the party "lays the groundwork for a new constitutional order in Hungary." In contrast, Fidesz, which dominated Hungarian politics until its heavy defeat in April's election, boycotted the vote, accusing Tisza of using authoritarian tactics to restructure the political system—a charge Tisza denies.
Baka served two terms as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg before being elected chief justice of Hungary's Supreme Court in 2009. Two years later, he was removed from office after publicly criticizing the Orban government's reforms, which he said threatened judicial independence. He will be officially sworn in on August 19.
Baka replaces former President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban appointee who was ousted weeks earlier through a constitutional amendment, part of Tisza's broader campaign to dismantle the political power structure Orban built over his 16 years in power. Tisza has also used its majority to reform the media, establish an anti-corruption task force, and impose an eight-year term limit on the prime minister's office, hindering Orban's ability to return to that role.
Although the Hungarian presidency is largely ceremonial, with only limited veto or law-referral powers, Baka's appointment is widely seen as the latest rejection of Orban's legacy.
