Baka was removed from the supreme court by the previous Hungarian government in 2011, a move denounced at the time as an assault on democratic freedoms.Andras Baka, Hungarian jurist, former judge of the European Court of Human Rights and former President of the Hungarian Supreme Court, poses for a photo on the sidelines of an AFP interview on February 8, 2022.Peter Kohalmi / AFP via Getty ImagesAug. 8, 2026, 8:04 AM EDT / Source: ReutersBy ReutersBUDAPEST — Hungary’s ruling Tisza party nominated András Baka, a former head of the Supreme Court, as the country’s ​next president, the party’s parliamentary group said on Facebook on Saturday.Baka, 73, is expected ‌to be elected to the largely ceremonial position by parliament on Tuesday, a symbolic step in Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s attempt to dismantle former premier Viktor Orbán’s bastions of power, for which Magyar says he ​received a strong mandate from voters in April elections which his party won by ​a landslide.Tisza lawmakers said Baka had always “attached paramount importance to the principle ⁠of the separation of powers, consistently standing up for the rule of law and ​judicial independence.”“We are convinced that Dr. András Baka’s experience and the professional independence he has ​demonstrated throughout his career represent a significant asset at a time when we are preparing to jointly lay the foundations for Hungary’s new constitutional order,” they added.Magyar’s election victory ended Orbán’s 16-year rule. He has ​vowed to restore democratic standards and has called on key officials appointed or elected ​by Orbán’s party to resign.Removing former President Tamás Sulyok was a key goal of Magyar, who called him a “puppet” of ‌Orbán. ⁠Sulyok signed the constitutional amendment passed by Magyar’s ruling party that ended his own presidency last month.The amendment says the new president would stay in office until a new constitution takes effect, or for a maximum of five years.Baka, a former judge on the European Court of Human ​Rights, was removed from ​his position as ⁠the head of the supreme court by Orban’s government in 2011, three years before the end of his mandate.The European Court of Human ​Rights ruled in 2014 that Hungary had sacked Baka for criticism ​of the ⁠government and that his removal did damage to democratic freedoms in Hungary. Orban’s government rejected those allegations.Under Hungary’s current constitution, the president is a largely ceremonial head of state with only ⁠limited ​powers to veto legislation or have it reviewed.The opposition Fidesz party said ​it would not participate in the process of electing the president, and accused Tisza of authoritarian policies, allegations which ​Tisza denied.