Hungary’s ruling Tisza Party has nominated András Baka, the former president of the country’s Supreme Court, as its candidate for President of the Republic.

The party’s parliamentary group made the decision in a secret vote on Saturday, selecting the 73-year-old legal scholar from three potential candidates.

With Tisza holding a two-thirds majority in Parliament, Baka is widely expected to be elected as Hungary’s next head of state when MPs vote on Tuesday.

Who is András Baka?

Baka is a legal scholar specialising in human rights and minority rights and has extensive experience in both Hungarian and international law.

Born in Budapest in 1952, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Eötvös Loránd University in 1978. He subsequently spent more than two decades as a researcher at the Institute for Legal Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Between 1991 and 2008, Baka served two terms as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg. He also worked as a visiting professor at several universities in the United States and was invited to lecture in France and West Germany.

In 1990–91, Baka served as an independent MP for the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), although he never joined the party. He was elected president of Hungary’s Supreme Court by Parliament in 2009.

Removed after criticising judicial reforms of the Orbán government

Baka became particularly well-known in Hungary after he was removed from his position as Supreme Court president in 2011.

His early dismissal came after he publicly criticised reforms introduced by the government of Viktor Orbán that he argued threatened the independence of the judiciary.

The case eventually reached the European Court of Human Rights.

In 2016, the Strasbourg court ruled in Baka v. Hungary that his premature removal had violated his rights. The court found that Baka had been removed through legislation specifically tailored to his situation after he had publicly expressed professional criticism of measures affecting judicial independence.

The case subsequently became a significant example in European discussions about judicial independence and the rule of law in Hungary.

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers later criticised Hungary over its failure to fully implement the judgment.

Tisza praises Baka’s independence

In announcing the nomination, the Tisza parliamentary group highlighted Baka’s professional independence and his commitment to the separation of powers. The party said his decades of legal and judicial experience were particularly valuable at a time when Hungary was preparing to establish a new constitutional framework.

Tisza described Baka as someone who had consistently defended the rule of law and judicial independence throughout his career. The party said he was capable of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation and called him an independent and impartial figure whose professional career had already established his authority.

The nomination is also consistent with Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s earlier description of the qualities he wants in Hungary’s next president. Magyar has said the head of state should safeguard national unity and constitutional principles, carefully weigh opposing views and understand the consequences of presidential decisions.

Baka was one of three candidates

The final decision followed weeks of speculation over who Tisza would nominate. Magyar initially proposed former chess world champion Judit Polgár, but she declined the invitation. The prime minister subsequently met several potential candidates, including historian Ignác Romsics, lawyer Botond Fülöp, who became known publicly as the “Rural Lawyer”, and Baka.

On Friday, Magyar confirmed that three candidates would be put before the Tisza parliamentary group. The names were widely understood to be Baka, Romsics and Fülöp. The parliamentary group ultimately chose Baka in Saturday’s secret ballot.

Parliament expected to approve him on Tuesday

The presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, 11 August. A candidate needs the support of two-thirds of MPs to be elected in the first round. With Tisza controlling 141 seats, the party has more than enough votes to secure the required majority on its own.

The Fidesz-KDNP opposition has announced that it will boycott the election, arguing that the removal of former President Tamás Sulyok was unconstitutional and that the presidential office was not legally vacant.

The opposition has therefore rejected the legitimacy of the process. The Mi Hazánk party has nominated energy lawyer Máté Tóth, but its six-member parliamentary group does not have enough MPs to put his name on the ballot without support from other parties.

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Baka could take office on 19 August

If Parliament elects Baka on Tuesday, the new president can take office on the eighth day after the result of the secret ballot is announced. This means Baka could officially assume the presidency on 19 August, just one day before Hungary’s national holiday on 20 August.

He would therefore be expected to hand out state honours and awards at the traditional 20 August ceremonies almost immediately after taking office.

Under Hungary’s recently amended Fundamental Law, the new president’s mandate will last until the new Constitution enters into force, but for no longer than five years.

Baka’s expected election would therefore mark a significant change in Hungary’s presidency: a former senior judge who was removed from office after challenging government reforms could soon become the country’s head of state, tasked with representing constitutional principles and the unity of the nation.

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