Hungary’s parliament on Monday elected a new president.
Lawmakers approved the appointment to the presidency of Tamás Sulyok, 67, a lawyer who previously served as the head of Hungary’s Constitutional Court. Several opposition parties did not participate in the vote, and called for direct presidential elections instead of appointments by vote in parliament.
They argued that the new president would be a “party soldier” of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán . Sulyok received 134 votes in favor of his presidency while five lawmakers voted against. In a speech following his appointment, Sulyok presented himself as a follower of the letter of the law who would seek to refrain from engaging in Hungary’s political life.
The role of president in Hungary is largely ceremonial, though they do have the power to send bills back to lawmakers or to the Constitutional Court for review. In his speech, Sulyok referenced procedures currently ongoing against Hungary in which the European Union has frozen billions in funding over rule-of-law and democracy concerns.