Hungary’s parliament has elected five new members of the Constitutional Court in a secret ballot, replacing judges whose mandates have ended or are due to expire following recent constitutional changes.
New members join the court following constitutional changes and a major reshuffle
The new judges are Nóra Chronowski, a constitutional lawyer and university professor; András György Kovács, a Curia judge and administrative lawyer; Miklós Ligeti, criminal lawyer and legal director of Transparency International Hungary; Árpád Gábor Orosz, former head of the Curia’s Civil Law College; and Zsolt Szomora, a criminal law professor at the University of Szeged.
All five candidates, nominated by the Tisza majority, received 137 votes in favour and six against, with no abstentions. They subsequently took their oaths before parliament.
Why were five new judges needed?
The reshuffle followed the 17th amendment to Hungary’s Fundamental Law, which restored a compulsory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges. As a result, the mandates of Constitutional Court President Péter Polt, together with Mária Ádám Haszonicsné, Miklós Juhász and Zoltán Lomnici, ended on 1 September after all four reached the new age limit.
Parliament had 60 days to fill the vacancies. A fifth seat was also due to become vacant because Ágnes Czine, the court’s deputy president, will complete her 12-year mandate in November. Under the new rules, newly elected Constitutional Court judges will serve nine-year terms instead of 12. The reform also provides for the court’s president to be elected by the Constitutional Court judges themselves.
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What do the new judges stand for?
The nominees outlined their priorities during parliamentary hearings. Chronowski said she would see the annulment of legislation as evidence of successful constitutional review rather than failure. She highlighted the democratic rule of law, human dignity and the protection of minorities and vulnerable groups.
Kovács said the court should revive and further develop the constitutional jurisprudence established during Hungary’s democratic transition. Ligeti was particularly critical of the institution’s recent record, saying the Constitutional Court needed to be “rethought and rebuilt” and describing it as a “captured Constitutional Court”.
Orosz stressed that restoring public trust would require credible and independent judges, while Szomora advocated constitutional dialogue between the branches of government rather than treating institutional disagreements simply as conflicts.
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Fidesz-KDNP boycotts the election
Opposition Fidesz-KDNP alliance did not participate in the vote. Its MPs left the chamber beforehand, having described the procedure as illegitimate and a mockery of constitutionalism. The Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland) parliamentary group did participate and nominated five candidates of its own, but its nominees failed to receive backing from the relevant parliamentary committee.
The appointments mark a significant renewal of Hungary’s 15-member Constitutional Court, amid continuing political debate over judicial independence, the rule of law and the balance between state institutions.
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