Hungarian PM nominates Jewish chess grandmaster Judit Polgár to serve as interim president

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar says he has nominated Jewish Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgár to serve as an interim president, after outgoing president Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment yesterday to end his term in office.

Sulyok was asked to sign the amendment as part of Magyar’s drive to dismantle former prime minister Viktor Orban’s bastions of power, after ousting the strongman in an April election landslide.

In a post on Facebook, Magyar says that Polgár is the right person to serve as head of state, as her “name has been synonymous with talent and perseverance for decades.”

“Our country needs unity, peace, and a president whom every Hungarian can be proud of,” he writes. “The presidency is not a job, not a workplace, but the highest service. The president’s task is to serve and represent every Hungarian.”

Polgár’s fame, he says, “is not due to her political affiliation or connections, but to her exceptional talent, diligence, exemplary burden-bearing, and integrity.”

If she accepts the role, which Magyar expresses hope that she will, she will serve in the role until the adoption of a new Hungarian constitution.

He expresses hope that she will accept the invitation, saying it would be “a huge honor” if she does.

Reuters contributed to this report.