Parliament elects Koltay new head of media authority NMHH

Parliament approved András Koltay, the rector of the University of Public Administration (NKE), as head of the National Media and Communications Authority (NMHH) for a nine-year term on Tuesday.

Koltay was elected with 134 votes in favour, 5 against and one abstention. After the vote he took his oath of office in the assembly.

Koltay was nominated for the post by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and appointed by President János Áder on December 3.

Under Hungary’s media law, a vote must be held in parliament on the candidate to head NMHH within 30 days of the appointment.

The new nomination came after Koltay’s predecessor, Mónika Karas, resigned on October 15 after serving in her post since 2013.

Her mandate was for nine years, so in September 2022, after the general elections the new Parliament would have had to vote on her successor. After her resignation, her severance pay was over 40 million forints (ca EUR 109,000 euros).

Koltay, a professor both at NKE and Pázmány Peter Catholic University, was awarded a masters in law degree in 2007 from University College London. He previously studied at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and was awarded a PhD in 2008 from Pázmány Péter University’s law faculty.

His research has focused on freedom of expression, media law and the rights of the individual.

He has been a member of the Media Council of the National Media and Communications Authority since October 2010.