Parliament of Hungary will elect the country’s next president in March
On March 10, the Hungarian parliament plans to hold elections to elect the new president and Katalin Novak is the first favorite
The Hungarian Parliament plans to hold the vote on March 10 to elect the next president of the country, as confirmed on Monday by the president of the Chamber, Laszlo Kover.
The favorite is Katalin Novak, making it likely that the country will have a woman as head of state for the first time in its history. Novak has the support of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has endorsed her candidacy for the Fidesz Party.
Novak has previously served as Minister of Family Affairs and could be elected in the second round since the government party has two-thirds of the support, according to information from the Atv.hu news portal.
Very conservative policies
Many consider Novak a follower of Orban and admit that she has supported the government’s ultra-conservative policies on family and gender roles. Critical voices, however, have pointed out that these policies promote hostile attitudes against homosexuals and trans people.
Janos Ader, the current president of Hungary and also a member of Fidesz, is finishing his second term and cannot stand again. Hungarian presidents, who have mainly a symbolic role, are elected for five-year terms.
The election of the new head of state comes less than four weeks before the holding of parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 3, in which the opposition is running together in an attempt to gain the necessary support and achieve the exit of Orban from power after twelve years.
Source: dpa
