Former judge removed by Orbán elected Hungarian president

Hungary's parliament has chosen András Baka, a respected 73-year-old judge and former Supreme Court head, as the country's new president. As a largely ceremonial role, Baka's mandate will involve overseeing Prime Minister Péter Magyar's efforts to dismantle the political and economic system established by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He will also oversee the drafting of a new constitution to replace Orbán's 2011 constitution.

Baka was elected by a landslide 140 votes to 6, with all 51 MPs from Orbán's Fidesz party boycotting the vote in protest against the removal of their preferred candidate, Tamás Sulyok. In his inaugural address, Baka emphasized the importance of broad debate in constitution drafting and promised to push back against Hungary's tendency to trust in powerful leaders.

Baka's presidency is expected to be brief, as under a constitutional amendment, he will likely only serve until the new constitution comes into force or for a maximum of five years. Notably, Baka served for 17 years as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and he has made it clear that he opposes the limitation of MPs' terms in office as an intrusion on the voters' right to freely choose their representatives.