János Áder inaugurated as President

János Áder was inaugurated as the 5th President of Hungary since the change of the political system in 1989-90, this Thursday in front of the Sándor Palace, the office of the President, in the Buda Castle with the participation of dignitaries. The new President, who turned 53 on Wednesday, vowed to serve his country and the nation.

János Áder was elected as the President of Hungary by the ruling parties, Fidesz and KDNP, in Hungarian Parliament on May 2. He received 262 votes in the assembly of 386 members with the opposition not participating or voting ‘no’.

János Áder is a founding member of Fidesz (Alliance of Young Democrats) that currently has a two-thirds majority in Hungarian Parliament. He is regarded as a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who nominated him on April 16, 2012 for the post of President as Pál Schmitt resigned after stripped of his doctoral title for plagiarism.

In the 1990 and 1994 elections, he was head of the Fidesz campaign. He was a member of the Hungarian national assembly from 1990 to 2009 and was the Speaker of Parliament from June 18, 1998 to May 15, 2002.

In 2009, he was elected as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Fidesz party list. Now, as President, he has 60 days to resign from his MEP post.

The position of the Hungarian President is partly symbolic. He or she serves as the ceremonial head of state, though he or she is also responsible for ensuring that there is no conflict between legislation by parliament and the country’s constitution.

Áder’s predecessor always signed into law all legislation sent to him as approved by the parliamentary majority led by PM Orbán and never returned any for revision, not even those that were declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court. It is to be seen whether President Áder – with his legal background – follows suit.

In his speech after his election, he promised to be a guardian of the constitution. In his inauguration address, he vowed to represent and serve his country and the nation.