Tamás Sulyok

Tamás Sulyok (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈtɒmaːʃ ˈʃujok]; born 24 March 1956) is a Hungarian lawyer who is serving as President of Hungary since 2024. He was the president of the Constitutional Court from 2016 until 2024. He was the Fidesz–KDNP candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Biography

Sulyok was appointed as a judge of the Constitutional Court of Hungary in 2014 and became its head in 2016. During his tenure, he oversaw several controversial rulings such as those involving the rights of teachers to go on strike.

In February 2024, he became the nominee of the Fidesz party to become President of Hungary following the resignation of Katalin Novak due to uproar over her pardoning of an associate in a sexual abuse case. His nomination was approved in a two-thirds vote (134 in favor, 5 against and 60 leaving the chamber in protest) by the National Assembly on 26 February, during which he was supported by Fidesz and its coalition partner, the Christian Democratic People's Party, after which he took his oath of office, although he would not be formally assuming the position until 5 March. Opposition parties criticized his nomination, describing Sulyok as politically inexperienced, and held a rally in Budapest on 25 February calling for direct presidential elections.

In his inaugural address, Sulyok expressed his intent to be a follower of the letter of the law who would seek to refrain from engaging in Hungary’s political life. He also denounced the sanctions and procedures initiated by the European Union against Hungary over concerns in the rule of law and democratic governance, saying that "the correctly defined concept of the rule of law is being lost, transformed from an ideal into an idol in today's Europe as part of a purely utilitarian political approach", and emphasizing that EU member states should retain their legal national sovereignty.

Upon assuming office, his first act as president was to sign a bill approving the accession of Sweden to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on 5 March.

References

1. Sulyok
2. 2024 in Hungary
3. 2024 Hungarian presidential election
4. President of Hungary
5. List of heads of state of Hungary
6. 2024 Hungarian local elections
7. Hungary
8. Katalin Novák
9. Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen
10. List of current heads of state and government
11. National Assembly (Hungary)
12. László Kövér
13. Constitutional Court of Hungary
14. List of state leaders in 2024
15. List of current state leaders by date of assumption of office
16. Katalin Novák presidential pardon scandal
17. State visits by Xi Jinping to France, Serbia and Hungary
18. Viktor Orbán
19. Politics of Hungary
20. List of political parties in Hungary