List of Prime Ministers of Hungary
Encyclopedia
The Prime Minister
of Hungary is the head of government
of Hungary
. He or she is the leader of a political coalition in the National Assembly of Hungary
and the leader of the cabinet. The current Prime Minister is Viktor Orbán
, who has served since 29 May 2010.
". However, because "Prime minister
" or "premier
" is the more usual title in a parliamentary system for a head of government in English-speaking nations, the head of the Hungarian government is usually referred to by English speakers as the "Prime Minister of Hungary".
, the President shall appoint the leader of the political party with the majority of the votes in the Parliament as Prime Minister. If there is no party with a majority, the leader of the largest party is asked to attempt to form a government. Therefore, the election of members of a certain party to parliament is the equivalent to a vote for that party's leader for Prime Minister.
after the king
(a kind of powerful Prime Minister
and supreme judge) from the kingdom's rise up to 1848/1918.
Initially, he was in fact the representative of the king, later the vice-regent (viceroy
). In the early centuries of the kingdom, he was appointed by the king, later elected by the Diet
of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the Habsburg
s solidified their hold of Hungary, the dignity became an appointed position once again. Finally, it became hereditary in a cadet (junior) branch of the Habsburg dynasty after King Francis
appointed his brother Joseph.
and the Buda Chancellery (which was office of the Imperial Governor-General). One of the 12 points
said: 2. A responsible government in Buda
-Pest.
Ferdinand V
appointed Count Lajos Batthyány
for the position of Prime Minister of Hungary on 17 March 1848. The government was called ministry, differently from the current acceptation. The ministries were called departments. Batthyány resigned on October 2, 1848 he was succeeded by Lajos Kossuth
as President of the Committee of National Defence. This executive body has not been allocated the portfolios. In April 1849, when the Hungarians had won many successes, after sounding the army, Kossuth issued the celebrated Hungarian Declaration of Independence
. In May Bertalan Szemere was appointed Prime Minister. The position was vacant after the defeat of the freedom fight.
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
of Hungary is the head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
of Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. He or she is the leader of a political coalition in the National Assembly of Hungary
National Assembly of Hungary
The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...
and the leader of the cabinet. The current Prime Minister is Viktor Orbán
Viktor Orbán
Viktor Orbán is a Hungarian populist and conservative politician and current Prime Minister of Hungary...
, who has served since 29 May 2010.
Official title
The title of Hungary's head of government in Hungarian is miniszterelnök. Literally translated, this means "Minister-PresidentMinister-President
A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...
". However, because "Prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
" or "premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
" is the more usual title in a parliamentary system for a head of government in English-speaking nations, the head of the Hungarian government is usually referred to by English speakers as the "Prime Minister of Hungary".
Election and appointment of the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister is officially appointed by the President of Hungary. According to the Hungarian ConstitutionConstitution of Hungary
The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary , its fundamental law, was adopted on 20 August 1949, and heavily amended on 23 October 1989. It is Hungary's first and only permanent written constitution; the country is the only former Eastern Bloc nation that did not adopt an entirely new constitution...
, the President shall appoint the leader of the political party with the majority of the votes in the Parliament as Prime Minister. If there is no party with a majority, the leader of the largest party is asked to attempt to form a government. Therefore, the election of members of a certain party to parliament is the equivalent to a vote for that party's leader for Prime Minister.
History of the office
Palatine of Hungary
The palatine was the highest dignitary in the Kingdom of HungaryKingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
after the king
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
(a kind of powerful Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
and supreme judge) from the kingdom's rise up to 1848/1918.
Initially, he was in fact the representative of the king, later the vice-regent (viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
). In the early centuries of the kingdom, he was appointed by the king, later elected by the Diet
Diet (assembly)
In politics, a diet is a formal deliberative assembly. The term is mainly used historically for the Imperial Diet, the general assembly of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire, and for the legislative bodies of certain countries.-Etymology:...
of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
s solidified their hold of Hungary, the dignity became an appointed position once again. Finally, it became hereditary in a cadet (junior) branch of the Habsburg dynasty after King Francis
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
Francis II was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until 6 August 1806, when he dissolved the Empire after the disastrous defeat of the Third Coalition by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz...
appointed his brother Joseph.
Creation of the position
During the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 the revolutionaries wanted the creation of a Hungarian cabinet which would be independent from the Austrian EmpireAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
and the Buda Chancellery (which was office of the Imperial Governor-General). One of the 12 points
12 points of the Hungarian Revolutionaries of 1848
The 12 points were a list of demands written by the leaders of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.-History:On the morning of March 15, 1848, revolutionaries marched around the city of Pest, reading Sándor Petőfi's Nemzeti dal and the 12 points to the crowd...
said: 2. A responsible government in Buda
Buda
For detailed information see: History of Buda CastleBuda is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the west bank of the Danube. The name Buda takes its name from the name of Bleda the Hun ruler, whose name is also Buda in Hungarian.Buda comprises about one-third of Budapest's...
-Pest.
Ferdinand V
Ferdinand I of Austria
Ferdinand I was Emperor of Austria, President of the German Confederation, King of Hungary and Bohemia , as well as associated dominions from the death of his father, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, until his abdication after the Revolutions of 1848.He married Maria Anna of Savoy, the sixth child...
appointed Count Lajos Batthyány
Lajos Batthyány
Count Lajos Batthyány de Németújvár was the first Prime Minister of Hungary. He was born in Pressburg on 10 February 1807, and was executed by firing squad in Pest on 6 October 1849, the same day as the 13 Martyrs of Arad.-Career:His father was Count József Sándor Batthyány , his mother Borbála...
for the position of Prime Minister of Hungary on 17 March 1848. The government was called ministry, differently from the current acceptation. The ministries were called departments. Batthyány resigned on October 2, 1848 he was succeeded by Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth
Lajos Kossuth de Udvard et Kossuthfalva was a Hungarian lawyer, journalist, politician and Regent-President of Hungary in 1849. He was widely honored during his lifetime, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, as a freedom fighter and bellwether of democracy in Europe.-Family:Lajos...
as President of the Committee of National Defence. This executive body has not been allocated the portfolios. In April 1849, when the Hungarians had won many successes, after sounding the army, Kossuth issued the celebrated Hungarian Declaration of Independence
Hungarian Declaration of Independence
The Hungarian Declaration of Independence declared the independence of Hungary from the Habsburg Monarchy during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. It was presented to the National Assembly in closed session on 13 April 1849 by Lajos Kossuth, and in open session the following day, despite political...
. In May Bertalan Szemere was appointed Prime Minister. The position was vacant after the defeat of the freedom fight.
Living former Prime Ministers
| Name | Term | Date of birth |
|---|---|---|
| György Lázár György Lázár György Lázár is a former Hungarian Communist politician who served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 1975 to 1987. He was retired in 1988.- Sources :* Any Hungarian high school book *... |
1975–1987 | 15 September 1924 |
| Miklós Németh Miklós Németh Miklós Németh served as Prime Minister of Hungary from November 24, 1988 to May 23, 1990. He was one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers' Party, Hungary's Communist party, in the tumultuous years that led to the collapse of communism in Eastern and Central Europe.As Prime Minister, Németh took... |
1988–1990 | 24 January 1948 |
| Péter Boross Péter Boross Péter Boross was the second Prime Minister of Hungary from December 1993 to July 1994. He came to power with the death of the previous PM, József Antall, and held office until his coalition was defeated in elections and he made way for his successor, Gyula Horn of the socialist party... |
1993–1994 | 27 August 1928 |
| Gyula Horn Gyula Horn Gyula Horn is a Hungarian politician and the third Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, from 1994–1998.... |
1994–1998 | 5 July 1932 |
| Péter Medgyessy Péter Medgyessy Péter Medgyessy is a Hungarian politician and was the fifth Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary from May 27, 2002 until September 29, 2004... |
2002–2004 | 19 October 1942 |
| Ferenc Gyurcsány Ferenc Gyurcsány Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.He was nominated to take that position on 25 August 2004 by the Hungarian Socialist Party , after Péter Medgyessy resigned due to a conflict with the Socialist Party's coalition partner... |
2004–2009 | 4 June 1961 |
| Gordon Bajnai Gordon Bajnai György Gordon Bajnai was the seventh Prime Minister of Hungary from 2009 to 2010. In March 2009, following Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's announced resignation, Bajnai was nominated by the ruling MSZP party to become Hungary's next prime minister... |
2009–2010 | 5 March 1968 |
See also
- List of rulers of Hungary
- List of heads of state of Hungary
- List of palatines of Hungary