Hungary’s parliament has confirmed Andras Baka, a former Supreme Court chief and outspoken critic of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the country’s next president in a move seen as another break with the political system built during Orban’s long tenure.
The National Assembly approved Baka in a secret ballot on Tuesday, with 140 lawmakers voting in favour, six against and no abstentions. He was nominated by the Tisza party, which controls more than two-thirds of parliament.
Tisza lawmakers said Baka’s judicial experience would be an important asset as the party works to establish what it described as a new constitutional order in Hungary. Opposition lawmakers from Orban’s Fidesz party boycotted the vote, accusing Tisza of using its parliamentary majority to reshape state institutions. Tisza rejects the accusation.
Baka, 73, served two terms as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg before becoming head of Hungary’s Supreme Court in 2009. He was removed from the position two years later after publicly criticising reforms introduced by Orban’s government, arguing that they threatened judicial independence.
Baka will take office on August 19, replacing former President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban appointee who was removed from office following a constitutional amendment under the new political leadership.
Since taking power, Tisza has used its parliamentary majority to pursue broad institutional reforms, including changes to the media system, the creation of an anti-corruption task force and an eight year limit on the prime minister’s tenure, a measure that effectively prevents Orban from returning to the position.
Although Hungary’s presidency is largely ceremonial, with limited powers to veto or refer legislation, Baka’s election is widely viewed as another sign of the political shift away from the Orban era.
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