List of heads of state of Hungary

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This article lists the heads of state of Hungary, from the Hungarian Declaration of Independence and the establishment of the Hungarian State in 1849 (during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848) until the present day.

Contents

The current head of state of Hungary is President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. He was elected on 26 February 2024 and took office on 5 March 2024. [1] [2]

For earlier rulers, see Grand Prince of the Hungarians, King of Hungary and List of Hungarian monarchs.

Hungarian State (1849)

Parties   Opposition Party

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Vastagh Portrait of Lajos Kossuth.jpg Lajos Kossuth
(1802–1894)
14 April 184911 August 1849119 days Opposition Party Governor-President
Also Prime Minister
until 1 May 1849
Gorgei Artur by Miklos Barabas.jpg Artúr Görgei
(1818–1916)
11 August 184913 August 18492 days Revolutionary Army Dictator
Acting civil and military authority

After the collapse of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the restored Hungarian Kingdom became an integral part of the Austrian Empire until 1867, when dual Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was created and the Hungarian Kingdom was organized as Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen .

Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (1867–1918)

Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)

Parties   F48P–Károlyi

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Mihaly-karolyi--outlawsdiary00tormuoft.jpg Mihály Károlyi
(1875–1955)
16 November 191811 January 1919125 days F48P–Károlyi Provisional President of the Republic
Also Prime Minister
11 January 191921 March 1919President of the Republic

Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)

Parties   MSZP/SZKMMP

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Garbai Sandor (retouched).JPG Sándor Garbai
(1879–1947)
21 March 19191 August 1919133 days MSZP/SZKMMP Chairman of the Central Executive Council

Hungarian People's Republic (1919)

Parties   MSZDP

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Peidl Gyula.jpg Gyula Peidl
(1873–1943)
1 August 19196 August 19195 days MSZDP Prime Minister
Acting Head of State

Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)

Parties   KNEP    Independent

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Joseph August of Austria (1872-1962) in 1917.jpg Archduke Joseph August
(1872–1962)
7 August 191923 August 191916 daysIndependent
(Regent)
Regent of Hungary
Istvan Friedrich Hungarian Prime Minister.jpg István Friedrich
(1883–1951)
23 August 191924 November 191993 daysKNP → KNEP Acting Head of State
Also Prime Minister
Huszar Karoly.jpg Károly Huszár
(1882–1941)
24 November 19191 March 192098 days KNEP

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)

   Independent

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
2
Horthy Miklos kormanyzo.jpg
Miklós Horthy
(1868–1957)
1 March 192015 October 194424 years, 228 days Independent Regent of Hungary

Government of National Unity (1944–1945)

Parties   NYKP

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1
Ferenc Szalasi.jpg
Ferenc Szálasi
(1897–1946)
16 October 194428 March 1945163 days NYKP Leader of the Nation
De facto, appointed by the Germans
Also Prime Minister

Soviet-backed provisional governments (1944–1946)

Parties   Independent

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
Bela Miklos de Dalnok 1944.jpg Béla Miklós
(1890–1948)
21 December 194425 January 194535 daysIndependentHead of State
Also Prime Minister
In opposition
Coa Hungary Country History med (1919-1938).svg High National Council 26 January 19451 February 19461 year, 6 daysMulti-partyCollective Head of State
In opposition to 28 March 1945

Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)

Parties   FKGP    MDP

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
2 Tildy Zoltan-MTI 1946.jpg Zoltán Tildy
(1889–1961)
1 February 19463 August 19482 years, 184 days FKGP President of the Republic
3 Szakasits Arpad 1949.jpg Árpád Szakasits
(1888–1965)
3 August 194823 August 19491 year, 20 days MDP

Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)

Chairman of the Presidential Council

Parties   MDPMSZMP    Independent

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Szakasits Arpad 1949.jpg Árpád Szakasits
(1888–1965)
23 August 194926 April 1950246 days MDP Chairman of the Presidential Council
2 Ronai Sandor (crop).jpg Sándor Rónai
(1892–1965)
26 April 195014 August 19522 years, 110 days
3 Dobi Istvan 1948-06.jpg István Dobi
(1898–1968)
14 August 195225 October 195614 years, 243 days
(3)25 October 195614 April 1967 MSZMP
4 Pal Losonczi.jpg Pál Losonczi
(1919–2005)
14 April 196725 June 198720 years, 72 days
5 Nemeth Karoly -Fortepan.jpg Károly Németh
(1922–2008)
25 June 198729 June 19881 year, 4 days
6 Straub F. Bruno3 (cropped).jpg Brunó Ferenc Straub
(1914–1996)
29 June 198823 October 19891 year, 116 daysIndependent

Leader of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party

Parties   MDPMSZMP

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s)Notes
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
1 Matyas Rakosi General Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party.jpg Mátyás Rákosi
(1892–1971)
12 June 194828 June 19538 years, 36 days MDP General SecretaryAlso Prime Minister (1952–1953)
28 June 195318 July 1956First Secretary
2 Enro Gero (Hongarije), Bestanddeelnr 914-2279 (cropped).jpg Ernő Gerő
(1898–1980)
18 July 195625 October 195699 days
3 Janos Kadar (fototeca.iiccr.ro).jpg János Kádár
(1912–1989)
25 October 195630/31 October 195631 years, 215 daysAlso Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965)
(3)1 November 195628 March 1985 MSZMP
28 March 198527 May 1988General Secretary
4 Grosz Karoly .JPG Károly Grósz
(1930–1996)
27 May 19887 October 19891 year, 133 daysAlso Prime Minister (1987–1988)
5 Nyers Rezso 1970.jpg Rezső Nyers
(1923–2018)
26 June 19897 October 1989103 daysParty President [lower-alpha 1]

Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989)

Parties   MSZP    SZDSZ    Fidesz    Independent

No.PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical partyPosition(s) Term
(Election)
Took officeLeft officeTime in office
Szuros Matyas (Heti Valasz).JPG Mátyás Szűrös
(born 1933)
23 October 19892 May 1990191 days MSZP Provisional President of the Republic
GonczArpad.jpg Árpád Göncz
(1922–2015)
2 May 19903 August 199010 years, 94 days SZDSZ Acting President of the Republic
14 August 19904 August 1995President of the Republic 1 (1990)
4 August 19954 August 2000 2 (1995)
2 Ferenc Madl.jpg Ferenc Mádl
(1931–2011)
4 August 20005 August 20055 years, 1 dayIndependent 3 (2000)
3 Laszlo Solyom.jpg László Sólyom
(1942–2023)
5 August 20056 August 20105 years, 1 day 4 (2005)
4 SchmittPal-2011-01.jpg Pál Schmitt
(born 1942)
6 August 20102 April 2012
( resigned )
1 year, 240 days Fidesz 5 (2010)
17 02 2022 Encontro com o Presidente da Assembleia Nacional, Laszlo Kover (51887780433).jpg László Kövér
(born 1959)
2 April 201210 May 201238 daysActing President of the Republic
5 Ader Janos.jpg János Áder
(born 1959)
10 May 20129 May 20179 years, 364 daysPresident of the Republic 6 (2012)
10 May 20179 May 2022 7 (2017)
6 Katalin Novak, 2023 (cropped).jpg Katalin Novák
(born 1977)
10 May 202226 February 2024
( resigned )
1 year, 292 days 8 (2022)
17 02 2022 Encontro com o Presidente da Assembleia Nacional, Laszlo Kover (51887780433).jpg László Kövér
(born 1959)
26 February 20245 March 20248 daysActing President of the Republic
7 Sulyok Tamas.jpg Tamás Sulyok
(born 1956)
5 March 2024Incumbent15 daysIndependentPresident of the Republic 9 (2024)

Timeline

Tamás SulyokKatalin NovákJános ÁderLászló KövérPál SchmittLászló SólyomFerenc MádlÁrpád GönczMátyás SzűrösRezső NyersBrunó Ferenc StraubKároly GrószKároly NémethPál LosoncziJános KádárErnő GerőIstván DobiSándor RónaiMátyás RákosiÁrpád SzakasitsZoltán TildyHigh National CouncilBéla MiklósFerenc SzálasiMiklós HorthyKároly HuszárIstván FriedrichArchduke Joseph August of AustriaGyula PeidlSándor GarbaiMihály KárolyiCharles I of AustriaFranz Joseph I of AustriaList of heads of state of Hungary

See also

Notes

  1. While Grósz retained the title of General Secretary until 7 October, Nyers held the chairmanship of the Party's four-man presidency after the reorganization of the Party leadership on 26 June. This made him de facto chief executive of both the Party and the country after that date for several months in 1989.

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References

  1. "Hungary parliament elects new president following scandal". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. "Hungarian parliament elects new president after predecessor resigned in scandal". Associated Press. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.