Change of power: Hungary's ruling party nominates Orban critic as president

Budapest. The Hungarian governing party Tisza has nominated former Supreme Court President Andras Baka as the next head of state. This was announced by the party of Prime Minister Peter Magyar on Saturday on Facebook. The 76-year-old lawyer's election by parliament is considered certain and is to take place as early as Tuesday.

Baka had "always attached outstanding importance to the principle of separation of powers and consistently advocated for the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary," the Tisza faction said in a statement. Magyar is trying to break up the old power structures of long-standing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Baka, a former judge at the European Court of Human Rights, was dismissed by Orban's government as President of the Supreme Court in 2011 - three years before the end of his term. Observers said the dismissal was a reaction to Baka's criticism of the government. The Orban government at the time rejected the allegations.

The opposition party Fidesz, led by Orban, announced that it would not participate in the presidential election and accused the Tisza party of pursuing authoritarian policies. Magyar had surprisingly won the parliamentary election in April, ending Orban's 16 years in power. He has announced that he wants to restore democratic standards.