Hungary scrambles for presidential candidate after chess legend Polgár declines nomination

BUDAPEST – Hungary has been left without a candidate to replace ousted President Tamás Sulyok after chess grandmaster Judit Polgár officially declined the government's nomination.

The vacancy follows the forced departure of Sulyok, an appointee of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose mandate expired at midnight on 20 July under a constitutional amendment adopted by the newly governing Tisza party.

House Speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer is currently serving as interim president, managing state duties until a permanent successor is elected within the constitutionally mandated 30-day window.

Sulyok's successor will serve for a maximum of five years, or until Prime Minister Péter Magyar's promised new Hungarian constitution is adopted.

Despite Polgár's decision to decline the nomination, sources close to the Tisza party told Euractiv that the governing administration still plans to proceed with the inauguration of a new president on 20 August, Hungary's national holiday.

Reluctant Departure

Political tensions rose on Saturday, 18 July, when Sulyok announced he had signed the constitutional amendment that effectively sealed his own departure.

In a video address, Sulyok delivered a scathing critique of the legislation, calling it a "grave and shameful historical example of the abuse of political power" that dismantles Hungary's post-1989 democratic state and strips the presidency of its role as an independent check.

Sulyok explained he had no legal tool to block the measure, as the president has no authority to refer amendments to the country's basic law to the Constitutional Court for substantive review.

On Sunday, 19 July, a group of 16 prominent Hungarian public figures from science, culture, and sports submitted an open letter to Forsthoffer, proposing Polgár should fill the role.

'Divided Nation'

Magyar quickly endorsed the nomination on Facebook, praising Polgár's global achievements, integrity, and non-partisan stance as uniquely suited to represent national unity.

However, Polgár declined the offer later on Monday evening following a personal meeting with Magyar, stating she does not feel she has the strength to "unite a divided nation".

With Polgár out of the running, questions have arisen in Budapest about alternative candidates. Among the most discussed names is Andrea Rost, a world-renowned opera singer who currently serves as a member of parliament for the Tisza party. Rost's name has been whispered as a potential candidate for a long time, though the party has never officially confirmed the rumours.

Meanwhile, the opposition has used the failed nomination to launch scathing attacks against the new administration, focusing their criticism on the political circumstances of Polgár's selection process rather than on the chess legend herself. Critics have accused Magyar of acting unilaterally and bypassing his own campaign promise to hold a broad, transparent "social consultation" before selecting a nominee.

Fidesz communications director Bertalan Havasi went further, describing the political situation as a "Tisza autocracy" where the rule of law has ceased to exist.

Havasi claimed that the identity of the nominee is entirely irrelevant under the current constitutional environment, labelling the floating of Polgár's name as "puppetry" designed to distract the public from Sulyok's unconstitutional removal.

(cm, rh)