List of heads of state of Hungary
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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 Katalin Novák, who took office on 10 May 2022. She is the first woman to hold the presidency.[1]
As of December 2024, there are two living former heads of state of Hungary.
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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894) |
14 April 1849 | 11 August 1849 | Opposition Party | Governor-President Also Prime Minister until 1 May 1849 |
| — | 
|
Artúr Görgey (1818–1916) |
11 August 1849 | 13 August 1849 | 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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) |
16 November 1918 | 11 January 1919 | F48P–Károlyi | Provisional President of the Republic Also Prime Minister |
| 11 January 1919 | 21 March 1919 | President of the Republic | ||||
Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)
Parties MSZP/SZKMMP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .JPG)
|
Sándor Garbai (1879–1947) |
21 March 1919 | 1 August 1919 | 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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Gyula Peidl (1873–1943) |
1 August 1919 | 6 August 1919 | MSZDP | Prime Minister Acting Head of State |
Parties KNEP Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | _in_1917.jpg)
|
Archduke Joseph August (1872–1962) |
7 August 1919 | 23 August 1919 | Independent (Regent) |
Regent of Hungary |
| — | 
|
István Friedrich (1883–1951) |
23 August 1919 | 24 November 1919 | KNP → KNEP | Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister |
| — | 
|
Károly Huszár (1882–1941) |
24 November 1919 | 1 March 1920 | KNEP | |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 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) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 
|
Béla Miklós (1890–1948) |
21 December 1944 | 25 January 1945 | Independent | Head of State Also Prime Minister In opposition |
| — | .svg)
|
High National Council | 26 January 1945 | 1 February 1946 | Multi-party | Collective Head of State In opposition to 28 March 1945 |
Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 
|
Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961) |
1 February 1946 | 3 August 1948 | FKGP | President of the Republic |
| 3 | 
|
Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965) |
3 August 1948 | 23 August 1949 | MDP | |
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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965) |
23 August 1949 | 26 April 1950 | MDP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| 2 | .jpg)
|
Sándor Rónai (1892–1965) |
26 April 1950 | 14 August 1952 | ||
| 3 | 
|
István Dobi (1898–1968) |
14 August 1952 | 25 October 1956 | ||
| (3) | 25 October 1956 | 14 April 1967 | MSZMP | |||
| 4 | 
|
Pál Losonczi (1919–2005) |
14 April 1967 | 25 June 1987 | ||
| 5 | 
|
Károly Németh (1922–2008) |
25 June 1987 | 29 June 1988 | ||
| 6 | .jpg)
|
Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996) |
29 June 1988 | 23 October 1989 | Independent | |
Leader of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg)
|
Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) |
12 June 1948 | 28 June 1953 | MDP | General Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1952–1953) |
| 28 June 1953 | 18 July 1956 | First Secretary | |||||
| 2 | .jpg)
|
Ernő Gerő (1898–1980) |
18 July 1956 | 25 October 1956 | |||
| 3 | .jpg)
|
János Kádár (1912–1989) |
25 October 1956 | 30/31 October 1956 | Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965) | ||
| (3) | 1 November 1956 | 28 March 1985 | MSZMP | ||||
| 28 March 1985 | 27 May 1988 | General Secretary | |||||
| 4 | 
|
Károly Grósz (1930–1996) |
27 May 1988 | 7 October 1989 | Also Prime Minister (1987–1988) | ||
| 5 | 
|
Rezső Nyers (1923–2018) |
26 June 1989 | 7 October 1989 | 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) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | .JPG)
|
Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933) |
23 October 1989 | 2 May 1990 | MSZP | Provisional President of the Republic | — |
| — | 
|
Árpád Göncz (1922–2015) |
2 May 1990 | 3 August 1990 | SZDSZ | Acting President of the Republic | — |
| 1 | 4 August 1990 | 4 August 1995 | President of the Republic | 1 (1990) | |||
| 4 August 1995 | 4 August 2000 | 2 (1995) | |||||
| 2 | 
|
Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011) |
4 August 2000 | 5 August 2005 | Independent | 3 (2000) | |
| 3 | 
|
László Sólyom (1942–2023) |
5 August 2005 | 6 August 2010 | 4 (2005) | ||
| 4 | 
|
Pál Schmitt (born 1942) |
6 August 2010 | 2 April 2012 (resigned) |
Fidesz | 5 (2010) | |
| — | 
|
László Kövér (born 1959) |
2 April 2012 | 10 May 2012 | Acting President of the Republic | — | |
| 5 | 
|
János Áder (born 1959) |
10 May 2012 | 9 May 2017 | President of the Republic | 6 (2012) | |
| 10 May 2017 | 9 May 2022 | 7 (2017) | |||||
| 6 | .jpg)
|
Katalin Novák (born 1977) |
10 May 2022 | Incumbent | 8 (2022) | ||
See also
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's 1st female president takes office". Xinhua News Agency. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.