Ruling Fidesz will nominate Katalin Novák, minister for family affairs, for Hungary’s next president, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Tuesday.

Katalin Éva Veresné Novák born 6 September 1977 in Szeged, Hungary. 

She studied Economics at Corvinus University and Law at the University of Szeged, including studies at Paris Nanterre University. 

Also in the United States, France and Germany lived and worked in.

In addition to his mother tongue, she is fluent in English, French and German, and speaks Spanish at a conversational level.

Novák is married and she has three children: Ádám (2004), Tamás (2006), Kata (2008).

Currently she is Minister for Families, Minister without portfolio.

She is Member of Parliament in Hungary and as well as vice president of the FIDESZ – Hungarian Civic Alliance (since 2017).

• read also: Family minister Katalin Novák told why Hungary could leave the EU

UPDATE

Novák said in response on Facebook that she accepted the nomination. In her post, she said she was ready to “represent Hungary and serve the whole Hungarian nation with faith, soul, and heart”.

In his international press conference, Orbán voiced regret that the constitution restricted the president’s tenure to two terms, adding that Fidesz, of which he is chairman, had tendered its nomination.

He also said that

a new family affairs minister was set to be appointed from Jan. 1.

Asked how Novak could represent the unity of the nation being a Fidesz party politician, Orbán said that if Áder and former president Árpád Göncz could hold the office while being members of political parties, “why couldn’t Katalin Novák”.

Hungarian presidential election

Incumbent President Janos Ader’s second term will expire on May 10 next year. Under the constitution, the same person cannot be elected president for a third term.

Under the current Constitution of Hungary adopted by the government coalition in 2011, the President must be elected in a secret ballot by the Members of Parliament.

Many people are against this method of election, as the President of the Republic, elected by the people, has much stronger legitimacy. Critics say the ruling parties are taking away the right of voters to directly choose the perfect presidential candidate for them, instead appointing along party lines.

The government has also come in for a lot of criticism because

there will be a general election next spring, but before that the old parliament will elect a president, and as it seems now, one of the Fidesz party members will be elected.

The opposition believes that the Fidesz candidate will obstruct opposition government everywhere if they win the election.

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Source: MTI