MPs Elect New President of the Republic

Hungary's National Assembly accepted outgoing head of state Katalin Novak's resignation.

Fotó: Ladóczki Balázs

MPs elected Tamas Sulyok as President of the Republic in a secret ballot. Of the 147 lawmakers who took part in the vote, 134 voted in favor of the constitutional court president becoming the new head of state after the resignation of Katalin Novak. Tamas Sulyok will assume office on March 5.

Following the oath-taking ceremony, Tamas Sulyok received congratulations from Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Parliament Speaker Laszlo Kover and parliamentary group leaders of the governing parties and those opposition parties that remained present in the chamber.

"It would be neither elegant nor appropriate for me to make a political speech,"

Tamas Sulyok began his address after his election.

The president-elect said that his course of life was about a career journey in law.  His love and respect for the law have determined his professional and personal career, he noted. Sulyok thanked his parents for teaching him to be Hungarian and Christian. He also thanked his wife, who has stood by him for fifty years.

"The fundamental idea of law is to ensure human freedom and equality of rights. For me, all power can only be understood within the framework of law. I can promise that as the President of the Republic, I will continue to work for a fair balance of fundamental constitutional rights and values," said the president-elect. He also noted that he wanted a Europe where values are more important than interests. He pointed out that our Hungarian identity is closely linked to the traditional social environment that has evolved in the Carpathian Basin over the past thousand years.

 "In accordance with the values of the fundamental law and adhering to my principles, I want to act as a jurist. When it comes to bestowing awards or granting clemency, I believe in the broadest possible transparency,"

Tamas Sulyok underlined.

The election of the new president took place after the National Assembly accepted the resignation of outgoing head of state Katalin Novak with 196 votes. In the interim until the election of the new President of the Republic,  Speaker Laszlo Kover acted as head of state. The duties of the Speaker were taken over by Deputy Speaker Sandor Lezsak, as decided by parliament with 162 votes.

Photo: Arpad Kurucz

The lawmakers decided that the nomination of Magdolna Csath was invalid. Under the rules, a presidential candidate needs support from 40 MPs to be eligible while Magdolna Csath's candidacy was only backed by the parliamentary group of Our Homeland made up of six MPs.

Following this, the MPs voted on the President of the Republic in a secret ballot.

MPs of the opposition Democratic Coalition, the Socialist Party, Jobbik and Dialogue left the chamber when Deputy Speaker Janos Latorcai welcomed Tamas Sulyok and his guests, including former Presidents Pal Scmidt and Janos Ader. The MPs of LMP and Our Homeland took part in the election process.

When the photo was taken , the chamber was almost full, but most of the left-wing parties left, when Tamas Sulyok was welcomed. (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)

The secret ballot was held in a corridor of the parliament, where MPs could pick up ballot papers and cast their vote for the head of state. After the vote, the president-elect took the oath of office.

Cover photo: Tamas Sulyok in the parliament (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)