BUDAPEST, July 20. /TASS/. Hungary’s opposition Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance party led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban refuses to take part in the presidential election, with chess grandmaster Judit Polgar proposed as candidate, said Janos Boka, former Minister for European Union Affairs and now deputy leader of the Fidesz parliamentary faction.

According to Boka, the country’s new Prime Minister Peter Magyar "forcibly and unlawfully removed the president of the republic [Tamas Sulyok] from office, and then, instead of letting the public decide, selected a candidate to succeed him on his own" in the person of Judit Polgar.

"This is unworthy of the institution of the presidency and unworthy of Judit Polgar herself. We will not participate in this political farce," Boka wrote on his Facebook page (Facebook is banned in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as extremist). He expressed regret that "Judit Polgar’s creative legacy and achievements have fallen victim to Peter Magyar’s political agenda."

According to Fidesz spokesperson Bertalan Havasi, this is not so much about the world-acclaimed chess player as it is about the circumstances surrounding the leadership change. Fidesz insists that whoever takes office next will not be the lawful president.

Hungarian parliament speaker Agnes Forsthoffer is serving as acting president from July 20. She was entrusted with these duties after President Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment envisaging his resignation after it had been passed by lawmakers. He slammed this document as unconstitutional and anti-democratic but signed it because, in his words, he had "exhausted all options" to oppose Magyar.

Presidential election

After coming to power following the April 12 parliamentary elections, Magyar has been seeking Sulyok’s resignation, claiming that he had not performed his office duties properly, not being the guarantor of the supremacy of law and turning a blind eye on the Orban government’s office abuses. Opposition parties stood up in support for Sulyok but failed to prevent his ousting.

The election of Hungary’s new president is to be organized within the next 30 days. Under national law, the president is elected by parliament where the ruling Tisza party holds more than two thirds of seats. Its leader, Peter Magyar, has said that he would support Polgar, whose candidacy was put forward by a number of prominent figures from the science, culture, and sports communities. The prime minister plans to meet with the 49-year-old chess player later on Monday to ask if she is ready to serve as president.

However, Polgar's term, if made official, will only be temporary, since the government plans to create a new system for choosing the president. The new constitution is expected to commit to paper a new procedure for the presidential election though a direct nationwide vote.

The president of Hungary is regarded as a political figure who should unite all Hungarians - this is what the country’s citizens see as his primary role. The president is elected for a term of five years, but his or her powers are rather limited (the president signs laws, sets election dates, appoints judges, etc.). Hungary is a parliamentary republic, with centralized power held by the prime minister and the government.

To be nominated as a candidate for president, a person needs to garner the support of at least 20 percent of lawmakers. That means that the Fidesz faction and its allies - Christian Democrats - can offer their own nominee. However, as follows from Boka’s statement, they will not do this as they argue that the election of a new president is illegitimate.