Hungary ruling party names Orban critic Baka for president

Hungary's ruling Tisza party said Saturday it has nominated former supreme court judge Andras Baka to be the country's next president.

Tisza, led by pro-EU Prime Minister Peter Magyar, chose Baka for the largely ceremonial head-of-state role. Hungary's single-chamber parliament is due on Tuesday to designate a successor to Tamas Sulyok, an ally of former premier Viktor Orban.

Sulyok stepped down on July 19 after lawmakers passed a constitutional amendment cutting short his term.

Baka, 73, was removed from Hungary's supreme court in 2012 after criticising a move under Orban to lower the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 62. The European Union and the United States called the age-limit reduction illegal, and the European Court of Human Rights found in Baka's favour in 2016.

Magyar had previously offered the presidency to Hungarian chess player Judit Polgar, who declined. Tisza lawmakers then drew up a shortlist of 10 other possible candidates and chose Baka by secret ballot.