Hungary's parliament elects Orban critic as new president

Hungary 's parliament voted in Andras Baka, formerly the head of the Supreme Court, as the country's next president on Tuesday.

The symbolic step is part of new Prime Minister Peter Magyar's sweeping efforts to dismantle the legacy of former premier Viktor Orban after winning April's general elections .

Baka was a staunch critic of Orban who was removed from his Supreme Court role during the former PM's tenure.

Now, he will replace Tamas Sulyok, a president appointed by Orban , whose term in office was shortened via constitutional amendment in order to remove him from the largely ceremonial role.

The vote in parliament to appoint Baka was always likely to be a formality, given the massive majority that Magyar's conservative, pro-European TISZA party holds in the chamber.

It went almost entirely along party lines, 140 lawmakers voted in favor and six voted against. TISZA holds 141 seats.

Orban's right-wing populist Fidesz party, which has 52 lawmakers, boycotted the vote in protest — but did so knowing it would be powerless to prevent Baka's appointment.

Baka, 73, is a jurist and politician who was briefly a member of parliament from 1990 to 1991.