Hungary’s parliament has elected András Baka, a former head of the Supreme Court and prominent critic of Viktor Orbán, as the country’s next president.
The presidency became vacant after the controversial removal last month of the previous president, who had been an ally of Orbán.
Baka was elected with 140 votes in favor and six against in a parliament where Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party holds a two-thirds majority.
Baka spent 17 years as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights and has been known for his criticism of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his government’s approach to state institutions.
His election comes as Magyar’s government seeks to roll back the influence Orbán built over Hungary’s state institutions during his long tenure in power.
The Tisza Party won the April parliamentary elections, ending 16 years of Orbán-led rule and promising what it described as a “system change” in Hungary.
Baka’s appointment is therefore being viewed as part of the new government’s broader effort to strengthen institutional independence and reverse the political legacy of the Orbán era.
