Hungary's ruling Tisza party has nominated former Supreme Court chief Andras Baca as the country's next president, the party's parliamentary group said. He is expected to be elected by parliament on Tuesday for the largely ceremonial post.
The nomination is seen as a symbolic step in Prime Minister Peter Magyar's attempt to limit the influence of structures built during Viktor Orban's 16-year rule. Magyar says he has a strong public mandate for such changes after Tisza's landslide victory in April's elections.
The party stresses that Baca has consistently defended the principle of separation of powers, the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary. According to Tisza, His professional experience and independence are particularly important at a time when the government is preparing the foundations for a new constitutional order.
András Baca is a former judge at the European Court of Human Rights. In 2011, he was dismissed from his post as president of the Supreme Court by Orbán’s government, three years before his term ended. In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that his dismissal was related to his criticism of the government and affected democratic freedoms. Orbán’s cabinet rejected these charges.
The replacement of President Tamás Szujók was among the main goals of Magyar, who described him as close to Orbán. Last month, Szujók signed a constitutional amendment adopted by the new ruling majority that ended his own presidential term.
According to the amendment, the new president will remain in office until a new constitution comes into force, but for no more than five years. Under the current Hungarian constitution, the head of state has limited powers, including the ability to return laws or send them for constitutional review.
The opposition party “Fidesz“ has announced that it will not participate in the presidential election procedure. The party accuses “Tisa“ of authoritarian practices, allegations that the ruling party rejects.