List of heads of state of Hungary

This article lists the heads of state of Hungary, from the Hungarian Declaration of Independence and the establishment of the Hungarian State in 1849 (during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848) until the present day.

The current head of state of Hungary is President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. He was elected on 26 February 2024 and took office on 5 March 2024.^[1]^[2]

For earlier rulers, see Grand Prince of the Hungarians, King of Hungary and List of Hungarian monarchs.

Hungarian State (1849)

Parties Opposition Party

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894)	14 April 1849	11 August 1849	119 days	Opposition Party	Governor-President Also Prime Minister until 1 May 1849
—		Artúr Görgei (1818–1916)	11 August 1849	13 August 1849	2 days	Revolutionary Army	Dictator Acting civil and military authority

After the collapse of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, the restored Hungarian Kingdom became an integral part of the Austrian Empire until 1867, when dual Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was created and the Hungarian Kingdom was organized as Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen.

Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen (1867–1918)

Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)

Parties F48P–Károlyi

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955)	16 November 1918	11 January 1919	125 days	F48P–Károlyi	Provisional President of the Republic Also Prime Minister
1		Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955)	11 January 1919	21 March 1919	125 days	F48P–Károlyi	President of the Republic

Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)

Parties MSZP/SZKMMP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Sándor Garbai (1879–1947)	21 March 1919	1 August 1919	133 days	MSZP/SZKMMP	Chairman of the Central Executive Council

Hungarian People's Republic (1919)

Parties MSZDP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Gyula Peidl (1873–1943)	1 August 1919	6 August 1919	5 days	MSZDP	Prime Minister Acting Head of State

Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)

Parties KNEP Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Archduke Joseph August (1872–1962)	7 August 1919	23 August 1919	16 days	Independent (Regent)	Regent of Hungary
—		István Friedrich (1883–1951)	23 August 1919	24 November 1919	93 days	KNP → KNEP	Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister
—		Károly Huszár (1882–1941)	24 November 1919	1 March 1920	98 days	KNEP	Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)

Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
2		Miklós Horthy (1868–1957)	1 March 1920	15 October 1944	24 years, 228 days	Independent	Regent of Hungary

Government of National Unity (1944–1945)

Parties NYKP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Ferenc Szálasi (1897–1946)	16 October 1944	28 March 1945	163 days	NYKP	Leader of the Nation De facto, appointed by the Germans Also Prime Minister

Soviet-backed provisional governments (1944–1946)

Parties Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
—		Béla Miklós (1890–1948)	21 December 1944	25 January 1945	35 days	Independent	Head of State Also Prime Minister In opposition
—		High National Council	26 January 1945	1 February 1946	1 year, 6 days	Multi-party	Collective Head of State In opposition to 28 March 1945

Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)

Parties FKGP MDP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961)	1 February 1946	3 August 1948	2 years, 184 days	FKGP	President of the Republic
2		Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	3 August 1948	23 August 1949	1 year, 20 days	MDP	President of the Republic

Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)

Chairman of the Presidential Council

Parties MDP–MSZMP Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	23 August 1949	26 April 1950	246 days	MDP	Chairman of the Presidential Council
2		Sándor Rónai (1892–1965)	26 April 1950	14 August 1952	2 years, 110 days
3		István Dobi (1898–1968)	14 August 1952	25 October 1956	14 years, 243 days
(3)		István Dobi (1898–1968)	25 October 1956	14 April 1967	14 years, 243 days	MSZMP
4		Pál Losonczi (1919–2005)	14 April 1967	25 June 1987	20 years, 72 days
5		Károly Németh (1922–2008)	25 June 1987	29 June 1988	1 year, 4 days
6		Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996)	29 June 1988	23 October 1989	1 year, 116 days	Independent

Leader of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party

Parties MDP–MSZMP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)	Notes
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)	Notes
1		Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	12 June 1948	28 June 1953	8 years, 36 days	MDP	General Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
1		Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	28 June 1953	18 July 1956	8 years, 36 days		First Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
2		Ernő Gerő (1898–1980)	18 July 1956	25 October 1956	99 days
3		János Kádár (1912–1989)	25 October 1956	30/31 October 1956	31 years, 215 days			Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965)
(3)			1 November 1956	28 March 1985		MSZMP
(3)			28 March 1985	27 May 1988			General Secretary
4		Károly Grósz (1930–1996)	27 May 1988	26 June 1989	1 year, 30 days		General Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1987–1988)
5		Rezső Nyers (1923–2018)	26 June 1989	7 October 1989	103 days		Party President^[a]

Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989)

Parties MSZP SZDSZ Fidesz Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)	Term (Election)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)	Term (Election)
—		Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933)	23 October 1989	2 May 1990	191 days	MSZP	Provisional President of the Republic	—
—		Árpád Göncz (1922–2015)	2 May 1990	3 August 1990	10 years, 94 days	SZDSZ	Acting President of the Republic	—
1			4 August 1990	4 August 1995			President of the Republic	1 (1990)
1			4 August 1995	4 August 2000				2 (1995)
2		Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011)	4 August 2000	5 August 2005	5 years, 1 day	Independent		3 (2000)
3		László Sólyom (1942–2023)	5 August 2005	6 August 2010	5 years, 1 day	Independent		4 (2005)
4		Pál Schmitt (born 1942)	6 August 2010	2 April 2012 (resigned)	1 year, 240 days	Fidesz		5 (2010)
—		László Kövér (born 1959)	2 April 2012	10 May 2012	38 days		Acting President of the Republic	—
5		János Áder (born 1959)	10 May 2012	10 May 2017	10 years, 0 days		President of the Republic	6 (2012)
5		János Áder (born 1959)	10 May 2017	10 May 2022	10 years, 0 days			7 (2017)
6		Katalin Novák (born 1977)	10 May 2022	26 February 2024 (resigned)	1 year, 292 days			8 (2022)
—		László Kövér (born 1959)	26 February 2024	5 March 2024	8 days		Acting President of the Republic	—
7		Tamás Sulyok (born 1956)	5 March 2024	Incumbent	256 days	Independent	President of the Republic	9 (2024)

Timeline

Notes

^ While Grósz retained the title of General Secretary until 7 October, Nyers held the chairmanship of the Party's four-man presidency after the reorganization of the Party leadership on 26 June. This made him de facto chief executive of both the Party and the country after that date for several months in 1989.

References

^ "Hungary parliament elects new president following scandal". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
^ "Hungarian parliament elects new president after predecessor resigned in scandal". Associated Press. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.

External links

Rulers.org

[3] While Grósz retained the title of General Secretary until 7 October, Nyers held the chairmanship of the Party's four-man presidency after the reorganization of the Party leadership on 26 June. This made him de facto chief executive of both the Party and the country after that date for several months in 1989.

[aljazeera-1] "Hungary parliament elects new president following scandal". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.

[ap-2] "Hungarian parliament elects new president after predecessor resigned in scandal". Associated Press. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2024.

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