Hungary’s prime minister has proposed former chess Grandmaster Judit Polgar for president, a position that will become vacant following last week’s constitutional amendment.
“Our country needs unity, peace and a president of whom all Hungarians can be proud,” Peter Magyar said in a Facebook post, adding that he will meet with Polgar on Monday to ask her if she would be willing to serve.
Polgar, who will turn 50 in a few days, is considered as the greatest woman chess player of all time and was the top-ranked woman player for 25 years when she retired in 2014.
Hungarian lawmakers last week passed an amendment that removed current President Tamas Sulyok, an ally of former prime minister Viktor Orban whom Magyar swept from power during elections this year.
Magyar, who won his landslide victory in April on the promise of “regime change” after Orban’s 16 years in power, has accused the unpopular president and other top state officials of being Orban’s “puppets”.
Sulyok’s last day as president was Sunday and Agnes Forsthoffer, the speaker of parliament, is set to temporarily serve as head of state until parliament elects a new president within 30 days.
Some rights groups have criticised the constitutional change, with Human Rights Watch saying the tinkering was “reminiscent of (the) Fidesz era,” referring to Orban’s party.
Polgar rejects proposal to become president
Polgar on Monday turned down a proposal by Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar that she become the country’s president as part of a post-Viktor Orban political shake-up.
“I do not feel I have the strength to take on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation, and so I am unable to accept the invitation,” Polgar, widely considered the greatest woman to have played the game, posted on social media.
Comments
Published on Jul 20, 2026