The possibility of directly electing the president resurfaces from time to time. For now, András Baka was elected by Tisza’s parliamentary majority, but Péter Magyar, the prime minister, has repeatedly indicated that he would support a direct election. Baka, meanwhile, is only an interim president, appointed for the transitional period. One of Tisza’s leading figures, Péter Magyar’s brother-in-law, has spoken about the powers a directly elected president should have and the constitutional changes such a decision would entail.
A directly elected president would be more powerful than the prime minister
Márton Melléthei-Barna previously made headlines after it emerged that Péter Magyar intended to appoint him justice minister. However, Melléthei-Barna eventually withdrew because of their family connection, and Márta Görög became Magyar’s minister instead. Melléthei had previously served as Tisza’s head of legal affairs and supported the campaign throughout. During that period, he met Péter Magyar’s sister, whom he later married.
Melléthei-Barna recently gave an interview to Magyar Hang, which was reported on by Telex. In it, he said that Hungary’s president could be directly elected in the future, although this would raise a number of questions. In his view, the earliest this could happen would be at the end of 2027, because the new constitution could be adopted in the autumn, following a thorough process of public consultation – something Tisza had previously promised. Moreover, the election could not be held until at least 90 days after the adoption of the new constitution.
At the same time, he argued that a directly elected president would have a stronger mandate than the prime minister, meaning that the current, limited powers of the presidency would not be sufficient. The powers of the head of state would therefore have to be reconsidered.
He stressed, however, that neither the method of electing the president nor the timing of the adoption of the new constitution had been set in stone.
Would the new directly elected president have greater powers?
One of the key questions surrounding direct presidential elections is precisely what powers the head of state would receive. According to Melléthei-Barna, holding a direct election would not necessarily be justified if the president’s powers remained unchanged.
His argument is that a directly elected head of state would have greater democratic legitimacy than the prime minister while continuing to possess only the current, limited presidential powers. In his view, that would create an unusual constitutional situation, which is why the president’s powers would also need to be reconsidered.
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Melléthei-Barna did not specify exactly what additional powers he considered necessary, or in what direction the role of the head of state should change. The MP said for the time being that he could put forward arguments in favour of a direct presidential election, but that much would depend on the role assigned to the president under the new system.
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The prime minister also indicated during a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) discussion in mid-July that he supported direct presidential elections, although he did not explain what this would mean in practice.
Permanent campaigning?
Analyses published previously suggested that Tisza was preparing for a period of permanent campaigning in the years ahead. This could include the adoption of a new constitution, the election of the president and an early local-government election.
Péter Magyar has repeatedly denied that he is planning an early local-government election, but he has called on compromised mayors to resign.
Tisza’s parliamentary majority elected András Baka president on 11 August, after Tamás Sulyok’s presidential mandate was terminated through a constitutional amendment. Baka took office today.
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