Hungarian chess star Judit Polgar rejects presidential nomination

Published Jul 21, 06:04 AM UTC

Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgar has publicly rejected the nomination for the office of state president, which was proposed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar. In a Facebook post, Polgar stated she did not feel strong enough to take on the historical responsibility of uniting a divided nation, though she appreciated the gesture. Magyar had proposed the 49-year-old, widely considered the best female chess player of all time, as an independent candidate on Sunday. The position became vacant after a constitutional amendment removed the previous officeholder, Tamas Sulyok, who was appointed by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Following the Tisza party's overwhelming victory in the April parliamentary election, Sulyok became untenable. Parliamentary speaker Agnes Forsthoffer has taken over as interim president, and parliament must elect a successor within 30 days. Magyar's approach drew unusual criticism from his own supporters for lacking broader societal debate and prior coordination with Polgar.

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