The new president of Hungary stressed that his and his compatriots’ “first and most sacred duty is to devote all our efforts and talents to ensuring that Hungary remains Hungary and that its independence is preserved.” Sixty-seven-year-old Tamás Sulyok was speaking at his inauguration as the newly elected head of state on Sunday, March 10th in front of the presidential residence, the Sándor Palace in Budapest.
Referring to the history of Hungary, Sulyok emphasised that “the Judeo-Christian culture, the Christian faith, and the values that stem from it are inseparable from us, they are the foundation of our thousand-year statehood, an integral part of our past, and the determinant of our present.” He spoke about his own Hungarian identity, his Christian faith, and his Hungarian and European cultural identity as being the sources of his values, his life, his profession, and his viewpoint of the world.
He stressed, however, that the future of Europe depends not only on Hungary, but on the European nations as a whole, on each and every member of the community. That is why Hungarians have to stand on firm ground in these times of uncertainty, he said:
Our country is unquestionably part of the West. That is precisely why Hungarians are also Europeans. Not only in a geographical, but also a territorial sense. But this does not mean assimilation. In this uncertainty, it is especially important that we Hungarians stand on our own two feet. Special care must be taken to ensure that Hungary remains Hungarian.
He noted that a good life, security, order, justice, and freedom can only be achieved if citizens and the state share a common goal. It is not possible to oppose the will of the people; the state must serve its citizens, he added. Public trust must be the building block of 21st-century Hungary—without it, our democratic state cannot be imagined. Without trust there can be no functioning state, economy, or legal system, he said.
Sulyok, the former head of the Constitutional Court, was elected as the head of state by the Hungarian Parliament two weeks ago. His election was necessitated after the resignation of his predecessor, Katalin Novák, who stepped down from her role following a controversial decision to pardon a man convicted of covering up child sexual abuse. The first official act of Tamás Sulyok, who took office last week, was to sign the bill that approved Sweden’s accession to the NATO military alliance. Hungarian conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán praised Sulyok’s qualifications, emphasising his legal expertise and commitment to upholding Hungary’s constitutional values. The prime minister’s office said the two would regularly consult each other on the most important geopolitical, European, and domestic issues facing Hungary.
The president talked of his own experience as a lawyer and judge, stating that “the law has been and will always be my support, the compass of my life, and I intend to work accordingly and faithfully.” The Constitution would be the cornerstone, framework, and standard of his work. He noted that the state is not without its faults, and that the system of legal remedies, the Constitutional Court, and the courts are there to remedy them. He also warned that if a state is proud of its achievements and virtues, it must also take responsibility for its failures.
