The Fidesz parliamentary group leader has launched a sharp attack on András Baka, the former president of Hungary’s Supreme Court, after the Tisza Party nominated him as the country’s next president.
János Bóka said on Saturday that Fidesz considers the election of a new head of state illegitimate, arguing that President Tamás Sulyok’s mandate was terminated by the Tisza Party “arbitrarily and illegitimately”. The Fidesz parliamentary group will therefore boycott both the nomination and election process, Bóka announced in a Facebook post.
“Hungary’s last legitimate president is called Tamás Sulyok,”
Fidesz calls Baka’s nomination an ‘illegal procedure’
Bóka accused Baka, a prominent legal scholar and former Supreme Court president, of taking part in what he described as an unlawful process and helping to build what he called “Péter Magyar’s arbitrary rule”.
The Fidesz politician also referred to Baka’s legal battle with the Hungarian state, although he did not explicitly name the case. He claimed that Baka had previously taken Hungary to an international court over a “significantly smaller grievance” than the one he believes has now been caused by the Tisza Party’s removal of Sulyok.
Bóka was apparently referring to the case brought by Baka before the European Court of Human Rights. In 2016, the Strasbourg court ruled in Baka’s favour, finding that he had been removed prematurely as president of the Supreme Court through legislation specifically designed to affect his position after he had publicly criticised measures threatening judicial independence.
Baka’s case subsequently became a major example in discussions about judicial independence and the rule of law in Hungary.
‘Baka will be a puppet of the Tisza majority’
Bóka ended his statement with a particularly pointed prediction about the future president.
“András Baka will hold his position only until Péter Magyar replaces him with a comment. He will be the puppet of the Tisza majority, and he must be aware of that.”
The Fidesz group leader also said his party had declared political resistance against what it considers arbitrary rule. He pledged that Fidesz would support what he called the “circles of freedom” and work to restore constitutionalism.
The comments came shortly after the Tisza parliamentary group announced that it had selected Baka as its presidential nominee in a secret ballot:
Mi Hazánk also rejects Baka as a candidate
Fidesz was not the only opposition force to criticise the nomination. The Mi Hazánk Movement also declared Baka unsuitable for the presidency. Party leader László Toroczkai argued that statements made by Baka in recent years had made him unfit for the position.
Toroczkai described the nomination as “ironic”, arguing that Baka had previously fought against the kind of personalised and retroactive legislation that, in his view, the Tisza Party is now pursuing.
Mi Hazánk continues to support energy law expert Máté Tóth as its preferred presidential candidate. The party says he could help establish stronger checks and balances during a government that abuses its power.
Baka is expected to become Hungary’s next president
Despite the criticism, Baka’s election is expected to be largely a formality. The Tisza Party has a 141-member parliamentary group, giving it more than the two-thirds majority required to elect the president. Fidesz and KDNP have already announced that they will not participate in the election.
Parliament is scheduled to vote on the new president on Tuesday, 11 August.
If elected, Baka is expected to take office on 19 August, following the constitutional procedure under which the newly elected president assumes office on the eighth day after the announcement of the election result.
Never miss a headline: join our newly-launched Messenger group!
