Former judge removed by Orbán elected Hungarian president

What the report says

Hungary’s parliament has elected András Baka, a 73-year-old former head of the Supreme Court and long-serving judge at the European Court of Human Rights, as the country’s new president, according to the supplied reporting from Nile Post and BBC World News. The role is largely ceremonial, but the appointment comes during a wider political reset under Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who is moving to unwind many of the structures built under former leader Viktor Orbán.

Baka was elected by 140 votes to 6 after lawmakers from Orbán’s Fidesz party walked out in protest. The article says he is intended to serve as a transitional figure while Hungary works on a new constitution and continues legal changes already underway. Those changes include ending emergency powers, abolishing the Sovereignty Protection Office, restoring limits on the prime minister and MPs, and returning some oversight powers to the Constitutional Court.

The development matters because Baka is not seen as a passive appointee. He has already signaled opposition to some reforms, including term limits for lawmakers, and has pledged broad debate over the new constitution. The report also notes a sharp political backdrop: Fidesz accuses the new government of authoritarianism, while the current administration says it is restoring rule-of-law safeguards and reducing the influence of Orbán-era institutions.