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Polgár declines presidency
Hungarian chess legend Judit Polgár turned down Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s offer to become Hungary’s next president, saying she did not feel capable of taking on the “historical responsibility” of uniting a deeply divided nation.
“AGI - In Ungheria il primo ministroPéter Magyarha annunciato che incontrerÃJudit Polgar, considerata la più forte giocatrice di scacchi della storia, per chiederle se è disponibile ad accettare la candidatura alla presidenza della Repubblica”
In a statement on Monday, Polgár described the nomination as “the honor of my life” and thanked Magyar for inviting “an independent, non-partisan candidate.”
The offer came after outgoing President Tamás Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment passed by Magyar’s ruling Tisza party ending his term as head of state.
Under the Hungarian constitution, parliament elects the president, not the electorate, and Magyar has previously said he is in favor of introducing direct presidential elections in the future so the president is voted in by the people rather than lawmakers.
Magyar and the backlash
After Polgár’s rejection was made public, Magyar said he “regret[s] her decision, but I respect it,” and he also said his Tisza party “asked the Hungarian people for their recommendations.”
The Times of Israel reported that Polgár posted on social media that she did not feel she had the strength to unite a divided nation, writing: “I do not feel I have the strength to take on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation, and so I am unable to accept the invitation.”
Euronews said the Tisza parliamentary group publicly backed Polgár in parliament, but it also noted that critics said her nomination was not preceded by broad public consultation.
Euronews added that until a successor is elected, the Speaker of Parliament, Ágnes Forsthoffer, is serving as interim head of state, and parliament must elect a new president within 30 days.
What happens next
The decision leaves the ruling party searching for a new candidate, with the presidency described as largely ceremonial but able to delay signing laws or refer them to the Constitutional Court to check their compliance with the Basic Law of the country.
“It will probably be a chess legend who becomes Hungary's next president: Judit Polgár, 49, considered the greatest female chess player of all time, who has topped the women's ranking for 26 years and became at age 15 the youngest Grand Master in history”
Euronews said leaders of the governing Tisza party have repeatedly said they want the president to be elected directly by the public rather than by parliament, and that the president elected now could serve only temporarily, until a new constitution is adopted.
The Guardian reported that Hungary’s parliament voted to back a constitutional amendment that included an immediate end to Sulyok’s term, and it said Sulyok had five days to sign off on the amendment.
In the same context, the Guardian quoted Magyar’s plan to loosen Orbán’s lingering grip, and it said the idea of nominating Polgár was first floated in an open letter signed by 16 prominent Hungarians, including Ernő Rubik.
