András Baka keeps details of chief prosecutor selection secret despite meeting Péter Magyar

The question surrounding Hungary’s next chief prosecutor is being framed in increasingly political terms: who does András Baka represent?

President Tamás Sulyok met Péter Magyar on Thursday. Neither said the chief prosecutor’s position came up, but the meeting followed Baka’s discussions with the heads of the National Judicial Council and the National Office for the Judiciary by only one day. That proximity has drawn attention because many people have labeled Baka a figure aligned with Magyar’s Tisza party.

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a puppet of the Tisza majority

Fidesz parliamentary leader János Bóka made that accusation when Baka was nominated. He said the new president would become “a puppet of the Tisza majority” and argued that Baka’s role would help build “Péter Magyar’s authoritarianism.” Fidesz lawmaker Miklós Panyi offered a similar criticism, saying Magyar needed a “Tisza puppet.” Panyi also claimed that Baka legitimized the Tisza’s procedure by accepting the post after the allegedly unlawful removal of Tamás Sulyok.

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Péter Magyar’s authoritarianism

The president had previously said he would not consult political parties about choosing the nominee. However, the Sándor Palace gave a guarded response when asked about the matter, failing to dispel doubts over whether such consultations occurred. Magyar is both prime minister and leader of Tisza, the largest parliamentary party.

Under Hungary’s constitution, parliament elects the chief prosecutor for nine years on the president’s recommendation, requiring a two-thirds majority. The previous officeholder, Gábor Bálint Nagy, came under heavy pressure from the Tisza government and received an ultimatum from Magyar to resign. Nagy eventually stepped down effective August 25. Media reports have mentioned Pál Fürcht, former head of the Central Chief Prosecutor’s Office for Investigating Crimes, and former Budapest chief prosecutor Tibor Ibolya as possible successors. Miklós Ligeti, legal director of Transparency International, has also been named after an unsuccessful application to lead the National Office for Asset Recovery and Protection.

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Tisza puppet