Hungarian Parliament Elects Tisza Nominee Sonnevend as Constitutional Judge

Hungary's parliament has elected Pál Sonnevend, a nominee from the ruling Tisza party, to serve as a constitutional judge. In a secret ballot, Sonnevend secured the support of 138 lawmakers, with six voting against him and none abstaining. Notably, members of the opposition Fidesz party chose to boycott the vote.

The vacancy arose after the term of Csaba Hende concluded, following the implementation of the 17th amendment to the constitution, which was championed by the Tisza party. The newly elected 54-year-old judge, Sonnevend, took his ceremonial oath immediately after the results were announced.

Sonnevend is a distinguished figure in legal academia, serving as the head of department and former dean at the Faculty of Law at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest. He is internationally recognized for his expertise in constitutional and international law. His prior experience includes serving on the constitutional court alongside László Sólyom and advising Hungarian presidents Ferenc Mádl and László Sólyom on constitutional law matters.

Earlier in the day, the parliamentary constitutional law committee had approved Sonnevend's nomination with an eight-to-one vote. Tisza party representatives voted in favor, while members of the far-right Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazánk Mozgalom) opposed the nomination. Fidesz members were absent from the committee meeting.