The parliamentary group of Hungary's ruling Tisza party has proposed holding elections for the country's new president on August 11.
The official proposal was published on the parliament's website on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
The election of the head of state and the preparation of a new constitution are key points in Prime Minister Péter Magyar's plan.
According to Magyar, these steps will help dismantle the power strongholds of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Magyar claims to have received a strong mandate from voters to carry out such reforms.
The current interim president of the country is Ágnes Forsthoffer.
How quickly can Parliament complete this process? The process can be completed within a week. The National Assembly is expected to hold a vote and elect a new president at a special session on August 11.
Thanks to the fact that the Tisza party has a two-thirds constitutional majority (which is necessary to elect a president), the vote will proceed quickly and without obstruction from the opposition. According to preliminary data, the new president will be able to officially take office as early as August 19.
What candidates will be nominated? As of now (as of August 5, 2026), the official candidate from the ruling Tisza party has not yet been announced. Since a two-thirds majority is required for election, and Magyar's team has this majority, their future nominee is guaranteed to become the next president of Hungary.
Currently, users on Hungarian media and social networks are actively discussing various potential candidates from among lawyers and Magyar's associates; however, the party is keeping the final name a secret until the parliamentary session itself.
Hungary is a parliamentary republic, so the president is elected not by popular vote, but indirectly. The head of state is elected by the deputies of the National Assembly (parliament) through a secret ballot. Ordinary citizens do not vote for the president.
According to the Fundamental Law (Constitution) of Hungary, any Hungarian citizen with the right to vote and who has reached the age of 35 can be elected president. A candidate can be either a current member of parliament or an outsider: a respected lawyer, judge, diplomat, scientist, or public figure.
Moreover, there is a rule of incompatibility of offices: the President of Hungary cannot simultaneously be a member of parliament. If the Tisza party decides to nominate a current member of parliament and he is elected, he will have to give up his parliamentary mandate, and the party will have to spend resources on organizing a by-election in his constituency. Therefore, an authoritative person outside the walls of parliament is often sought for this role.
Why can Péter Magyar do this so quickly and without regard for the opposition?
Here lies the main political intrigue. To elect the President of Hungary in the first two rounds of voting, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the votes (at least 133 out of 199 votes) is required.
In the parliamentary elections in April 2026, the Tisza party achieved a crushing victory and obtained precisely this constitutional supermajority (around 141 seats). This means that Péter Magyar does not need to negotiate with Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party or other opposition forces. It is sufficient for them to gather as a faction on August 11, nominate any candidate meeting the criteria, and vote for them. Their own votes are mathematically enough to approve the new president in one round.
