Hungarian presidential election, 2012

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Hungarian presidential election, 2012
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Nominee János Áder
Party Fidesz
Electoral vote 262
President before election

László Kövér
(acting)
Fidesz

Elected President

János Áder
Fidesz

Hungary
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This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Hungary
Foreign relations

An early indirect presidential election was held in Hungary on 2 May 2012, [1] following the resignation of Pál Schmitt as President of Hungary on 2 April 2012. [2] János Áder was elected President with an absolute majority.

Hungary Country in Central Europe

Hungary is a country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) in the Carpathian Basin, it borders Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Austria to the northwest, Romania to the east, Serbia to the south, Croatia to the southwest, and Slovenia to the west. With about 10 million inhabitants, Hungary is a medium-sized member state of the European Union. The official language is Hungarian, which is the most widely spoken Uralic language in the world. Hungary's capital and largest city is Budapest. Other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs and Győr.

Pál Schmitt President of Hungary, olympic champion

Pál Schmitt is a Hungarian Olympic fencer and politician who served as President of Hungary from 2010 to 2012.

President of Hungary position

The President of the Republic of Hungary is the head of state of Hungary. The office has a largely ceremonial (figurehead) role, but may also veto legislation or send legislation to the Constitutional Court for review. Most other executive powers, such as selecting Government ministers and leading legislative initiatives, are vested in the office of the Prime Minister instead.

Contents

Background

Pál Schmitt was elected head of state of Hungary in summer 2010, following the Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010 in which Fidesz came out with an absolute majority of seats and PM Viktor Orbán nominated him. [3]

Viktor Orbán Hungarian politician, chairman of Fidesz

Viktor Mihály Orbán is a Hungarian politician serving as Prime Minister of Hungary since 2010. He also served as Prime Minister from 1998 to 2002. He is the present leader of the national conservative Fidesz party, a post he has held since 2003 and, previously, from 1993 to 2000.

As a result of an allegation of academic misconduct he was stripped by a legal session of the Senate of the SOTE of his doctorate degree on 29 March. [4] On 2 April, Schmitt told Parliament he would resign as President [2] saying that "under the Constitution, the President must represent the unity of the Hungarian nation. I have unfortunately become a symbol of division; I feel it is my duty to leave my position." [5] Speaker of the National Assembly László Kövér then took over as acting President according to the Constitution of Hungary, [6] [7] which also mandates the National Assembly has 30 days to elect a new President. [8] One of the five Deputy Speakers of the Parliament, Sándor Lezsák, was commissioned with exercising the Speaker's rights and responsibilities in the interim period. [9]

László Kövér Hungarian politician

László Kövér is a Hungarian politician and the current Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary. He was the acting President of Hungary from 2 April 2012 to 10 May 2012, after the resignation of Pál Schmitt.

The Fundamental Law of Hungary, the country's constitution, was adopted by Parliament on 18 April 2011, promulgated by the President a week later and entered into force on 1 January 2012. It is Hungary's first constitution adopted within a democratic framework and following free elections.

Sándor Lezsák Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary

Sándor Lezsák is a Hungarian poet, teacher and politician and was managing Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary since Speaker, László Kövér, after resigning of Pál Schmitt, became the acting President of Hungary from 2 April 2012 to 10 May 2012.

Candidates

The Socialist Party (MSZP), Politics Can Be Different (LMP) and the Democratic Coalition (DK) agreed about the opposition parties' guarantees for having a meaningful say in the presidential election. The Socialist Party also submitted a bill to mandate a four-fifths majority in order to elect a new head of state instead of the current two-thirds majority so as to stymie Fidesz-KDNP's ability to unilaterally elect a new President without the opposition. [10]

Hungarian Socialist Party political party in Hungary

The Hungarian Socialist Party, known mostly by its acronym MSZP, is a social-democratic political party in Hungary.

Politics Can Be Different Hungarian green liberal political party, founded in 2009

Politics Can Be Different is a green political party in Hungary. Founded in 2009, it was one of four parties to win seats in the National Assembly in the 2010 parliamentary election. The party is a member of the European Green Party.

Democratic Coalition (Hungary) political party

The Democratic Coalition is a social-liberal political party in Hungary led by former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. Founded in 2010 as a faction within the Socialist Party (MSZP), the Democratic Coalition split from the MSZP on 22 October 2011 and became a separate party. It has nine MPs in the National Assembly and two MEPs in the European Parliament.

Jobbik nominated MEP Krisztina Morvai and former Minister of Defence Lajos Für as the party's candidates to the presidential position on 4 April. [11] However, Für later announced that he would not accept the nomination. [12]

Jobbik Hungarian political party

The Movement for a Better Hungary, commonly known as Jobbik, is a Hungarian political party with radical and nationalist roots. At its beginnings the party described itself as "a principled, conservative and radically patriotic Christian party", whose "fundamental purpose" is the protection of "Hungarian values and interests." The party has been described as an "anti-Semitic organization" by The Independent and a "neo-Nazi party" by the president of the European Jewish Congress. Philosopher Ágnes Heller, a Holocaust survivor, says that Jobbik has never been a neo-Nazi party, although she described them as far-right and racist.

Krisztina Morvai Hungarian politician

Krisztina Morvai is a Hungarian lawyer and nationalist politician. She is a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), having been elected on the list of the political party Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary in the 2009 European Parliament elections. Morvai is not a member of Jobbik, and currently supports Fidesz.

Lajos Für Hungarian politician

Lajos Für was a Hungarian politician and historian, who served as Minister of Defence between 1990 and 1994. From 1994 to 1996 he was also chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), the ruling conservative party led by late Prime Minister József Antall to his death in 1993.

Fidesz announced that will nominate MEP János Áder. [13] Áder was criticised for his close relationship with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the grounds that he would not serve as a check on the power of the Prime Minister. [14]

János Áder President of Hungary

János Áder is a Hungarian politician and lawyer who has been the President of Hungary since 10 May 2012. Previously he served as Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary from 1998 to 2002 and deputy chairman of the European Parliament Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety from January to May 2012.

Results

MSZP boycotted the vote because they said the move would strengthen the hand of the ruling party who have already appointed allies to the judiciary and in the media. LMP [15] and the Democratic Coalition also joined the boycott. LMP's Benedek Jávor said their decision was based on taking a stand against the procedure of Áder's nominated as, following Schmitt’s resignation, there was a trust deficit in democratic institutions and a consensus should have been made on a non-partisan candidate.

Áder took the oath of office immediately and was congratulated by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Parliamentary Speaker László Kövér, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén and the four parliamentary group leaders; he then met with his predecessor Pál Schmitt, former Prime Ministers Péter Boross and Péter Medgyessy and the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences József Pálinkás. [16]

Hungarian presidential election, 2012 [16]
Candidate Nominating Party Votes %
In favor of János Áder Fidesz 262 67.87%
Against Áder --- 40 10.36%
Did not vote 79 20.47%
Invalid votes 5 1.30%
Total votes 307 79.53%
Total seats 386 100.00

Reactions

After the vote, Áder said that he would "avail himself fully of both his constitutional rights and obligations" and that he "say[s] to the people of the neighbouring countries, and to our allies in the European Union and NATO, we offer them friendship and respect - which also means that we expect the same respect and friendship back". [17] He also added that the new Constitution, which he helped draft, "provides from all aspects an adequate direction and framework to find the right solutions to the fundamental issues and challenges of the 21st century... [15] Let me reach out to believers and to non-believers alike, and ask them to see in each other what unites us, as understanding one another will enrich us all". Prime Minister Viktor Orbán added that the best decision for "setting in motion and stabilising" the constitution was made as Áder was an "anchor". "We know the President, we respect him and think highly of him". Jobbik's deputy leader Zoltán Balczó said that Áder should be above "party identity" and that the party had hoped "national cooperation", as announced by Fidesz-KDNP, meant a non-partisan candidate should have been chosen. For its part, the Democratic Coalition's Ágnes Vadai said that Áder was not trustworthy enough to safeguard the democratic nature of the state. [16] LMP's Benedek Jávor also said that Áder should start a constitutional review of electoral and justice laws. [18]

Academic reactions to the result included Attila Juhász, of the think tank Political Capital, who said: "You should not expect Áder to become a power check and resist the Prime Minister, that's not what you can read from his career. It's also important that the president elected now will be in office until 2017, and the office will be held by someone from the innermost circles of Fidesz even if the party loses the 2014 parliamentary elections". [15] Ferenc Kumin of the Századvég Foundation, said that Áder was presented as representative of the plurality of groups within the country in opposition to the criticism levelled against him of his closeness to the "political right" and that his first speech to Parliament was "convincing proof" of his readiness for the "high position and the magnitude of his job with due humility". Gábor Filippov of the Hungarian Progressive Institute said that Áder will be to show that he is not bound by his previous Fidesz-associations as he took the duties of President from a non-partisan approach. [19]

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References

  1. ↑ http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/04/17/2743s693872.htm
  2. 1 2 "Schmitt Pál lemondott" (in Hungarian). 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  3. ↑ MTI (30 June 2010). "Pal Schmitt elected new president of Hungary". Politics.hu. Retrieved 5 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "BBC News – Hungarian President Pal Schmitt stripped of doctorate". BBC. 29 March 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2012.
  5. ↑ "The Times of India: Latest News India, World & Business News, Cricket & Sports, Bollywood". The Times Of India.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Hivatalos: elfogadták Schmitt lemondását" (in Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.interaksyon.com/article/28514/hungarian-president-resigns-over-plagiarism-scandal
  8. ↑ "Kövér László 38 államfői napja?" (in Hungarian). Népszava. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lezsák Sándor helyettesíti Kövér Lászlót" (in Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "Államfői pozíció: egyeztetett az MSZP, az LMP és a DK" (in Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "Morvai Krisztina és Für Lajos a Jobbik elnökjelöltje" (in Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Für nem akar Schmitt utóda lenni" (in Hungarian). Heti Világgazdaság. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  13. ↑ http://derstandard.at/1334132568712/Janos-Ader-soll-neuer-Praesident-werden
  14. ↑ http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Hungary-Confirms-Orban-Ally-Ader-as-President-149830875.html
  15. 1 2 3 "Hungary elects PM's close ally Ader as president". Reuters. 2 May 2012.
  16. 1 2 3 http://www.politics.hu/20120502/hungary-elects-former-fidesz-mp-janos-ader-president/
  17. ↑ "Hungary: Janos Ader replaces Pal Schmitt as president". BBC News. 2 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "LMP urges new president to initiate constitutional review of electoral, justice laws". Politics.hu. 3 May 2012.
  19. ↑ "New president vows independence from political parties". Politics.hu. 3 May 2012.
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