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 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 | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Governor–President of the Hungarian State | |||||||||
| 1 |  |
Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894) also prime minister |
14 April 1849 | 11 August 1849 | 119 days | Opposition Party | |||
| — |  |
General Artúr Görgei (1818–1916) acting |
11 August 1849 | 13 August 1849 | 2 days | Revolutionary Army | |||
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)
House of Habsburg-Lorraine (1867–1918)
| Name Reign Coronation |
Portrait | Arms | Birth Parentage |
Marriage(s) Issue |
Death Burial |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Habsburg-Lorraine (1867–1918) | ||||||
| Franz Joseph I 54th king of Hungary 29 May 1867 ┃ 21 November 1916 (49 years, 176 days)  Buda |
.png) |
 |
18 August 1830 Vienna Son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess Sophie of Bavaria |
Elisabeth of Bavaria 24 April 1854 Vienna four children |
21 November 1916 Vienna aged 86 Capuchin Crypt, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria |
Nephew of Ferdinand V, grandson of Francis I |
| Charles IV Blessed Charles 55th king of Hungary 21 November 1916 ┃ 16 November 1918 (1 year, 360 days) Budapest |
 |
 |
17 August 1887 Persenbeug-Gottsdorf Son of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony |
Zita of Bourbon-Parma 21 October 1911 Schwarzau eight children |
1 April 1922 Funchal aged 34 Church of Our Lady, Funchal, Portugal |
Great-nephew of Francis Joseph I, second great grandson of Francis I |
Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)
Parties F48P–Károlyi
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| President of the People's Republic of Hungary | |||||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) also prime minister [a] |
16 November 1918 | 11 January 1919 | 125 days | F48P–Károlyi | |||
| 11 January 1919 | 21 March 1919 | ||||||||
Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)
Parties MSZP/SZKMMP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Chairman of the Central Executive Council of the Hungarian Soviet Republic | |||||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
Sándor Garbai (1879–1947) also prime minister |
21 March 1919 | 1 August 1919 | 133 days | MSZP | |||
Hungarian People's Republic (1919)
Parties MSZDP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Provisional President of the Hungarian People's Republic | |||||||||
| — | .jpg) |
Gyula Peidl (1873–1943) acting, also prime minister |
1 August 1919 | 6 August 1919 | 5 days | MSZDP | |||
Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)
Parties KNEP Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Regent of the Hungarian Republic | |||||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
Archduke Joseph August (1872–1962) |
7 August 1919 | 23 August 1919 | 16 days | Independent | |||
| Provisional President of the Hungarian Republic | |||||||||
| — |  |
István Friedrich (1883–1951) acting, also prime minister |
23 August 1919 | 24 November 1919 | 93 days | KNP → KNEP | |||
| — | .jpg) |
Károly Huszár (1882–1941) acting, also prime minister |
24 November 1919 | 1 March 1920 | 98 days | KNEP | |||
Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| 1 |  |
Miklós Horthy (1868–1957) |
1 March 1920 | 15 October 1944 | 24 years, 228 days | Independent | |||
| Vacant (15 October 1944 – 4 November 1944) | |||||||||
| Leader of the Nation of Hungary | |||||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
Ferenc Szálasi (1897–1946) also prime minister |
4 November 1944 | 7 May 1945 | 184 days | NYKP | |||
| Head of State of Hungary | |||||||||
| — | .jpg) |
General Béla Miklós (1890–1948) in opposition, also prime minister |
21 December 1944 | 25 January 1945 | 35 days | Independent | |||
| — | .svg) |
High National Council collective [b] |
26 January 1945 | 1 February 1946 | 1 year, 6 days | Multi-party | |||
Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| President of the Hungarian Republic | |||||||||
| 1 |  |
Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961) |
1 February 1946 | 3 August 1948 | 2 years, 184 days | FKGP | |||
| 2 |  |
Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965) |
3 August 1948 | 23 August 1949 | 1 year, 20 days | MDP | |||
Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)
Parties MDP–MSZMP Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Chairman of the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic | |||||||||
| 1 | |
Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965) |
23 August 1949 | 26 April 1950 | 246 days | MDP | |||
| 2 |  |
Sándor Rónai (1892–1965) |
26 April 1950 | 14 August 1952 | 2 years, 110 days | MDP | |||
| 3 | .jpg) |
István Dobi (1898–1968) |
14 August 1952 | 25 October 1956 | 14 years, 243 days | MDP | |||
| 25 October 1956 | 14 April 1967 | MSZP | |||||||
| 4 | .jpg) |
Pál Losonczi (1919–2005) |
14 April 1967 | 25 June 1987 | 20 years, 72 days | MSZP | |||
| 5 |  |
Károly Németh (1922–2008) |
25 June 1987 | 29 June 1988 | 1 year, 4 days | MSZP | |||
| 6 | .jpg) |
Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996) |
29 June 1988 | 23 October 1989 | 1 year, 116 days | Independent | |||
The de facto leader of the country was the General Secretary of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party; the officeholders are listed below.
Leaders of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | .jpg) |
Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) |
12 June 1948 | 28 June 1953 | 8 years, 36 days | MDP | General Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1952–1953) |
| 28 June 1953 | 18 July 1956 | First Secretary | ||||||
| 2 | ,_Bestanddeelnr_914-2279_(cropped).jpg) |
Ernő Gerő (1898–1980) |
18 July 1956 | 25 October 1956 | 99 days | |||
| 3 | .jpg) |
János Kádár (1912–1989) |
25 October 1956 | 31 October 1956 | 31 years, 210 days | Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965) | ||
| (3) | 31 October 1956 | 28 March 1985 | MSZMP | |||||
| 28 March 1985 | 22 May 1988 | General Secretary | ||||||
| 4 | _(b).jpg) |
Károly Grósz (1930–1996) |
22 May 1988 | 26 June 1989 | 1 year, 35 days | Also Prime Minister (1987–1988) | ||
| 5 |  |
Rezső Nyers (1923–2018) |
26 June 1989 | 7 October 1989 | 103 days | Party President[c] | ||
Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989)
Parties MSZP SZDSZ Fidesz Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Party | Term (Election) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| President of the Hungarian Republic | |||||||||
| — | .jpg) |
Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933) acting |
23 October 1989 | 2 May 1990 | 191 days | MSZP | — | ||
| — |  |
Árpád Göncz (1922–2015) |
2 May 1990 | 3 August 1990 | 10 years, 93 days | SZDSZ | — | ||
| 1 | 3 August 1990 | 3 August 1995 | 1 (1990) | ||||||
| 3 August 1995 | 3 August 2000 | 2 (1995) | |||||||
| 2 |  |
Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011) |
4 August 2000 | 4 August 2005 | 5 years | Independent | 3 (2000) | ||
| 3 |  |
László Sólyom (1942–2023) |
5 August 2005 | 5 August 2010 | 5 years | Independent | 4 (2005) | ||
| 4 |  |
Pál Schmitt (born 1942) |
6 August 2010 | 31 December 2011 | 1 year, 147 days | Fidesz | 5 (2010) | ||
| President of Hungary | |||||||||
| (4) |  |
Pál Schmitt (born 1942) |
1 January 2012 | 2 April 2012 (resigned) |
92 days | Fidesz | 5 (2010) | ||
| — |  |
László Kövér (born 1959) acting |
2 April 2012 | 10 May 2012 | 38 days | Fidesz | — | ||
| 5 |  |
János Áder (born 1959) |
10 May 2012 | 10 May 2017 | 10 years | Fidesz | 6 (2012) | ||
| 10 May 2017 | 10 May 2022 | 7 (2017) | |||||||
| 6 | .jpg) |
Katalin Novák (born 1977) |
10 May 2022 | 26 February 2024 (resigned) |
1 year, 292 days | Fidesz | 8 (2022) | ||
| — | .jpg) |
László Kövér (born 1959) acting |
26 February 2024 | 5 March 2024 | 8 days | Fidesz | — | ||
| 7 | .jpg) |
Tamás Sulyok (born 1956) |
5 March 2024 | Incumbent | 2 years, 60 days | Independent | 9 (2024) | ||
Timeline
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the heads of state of Hungary. They are listed in order of first assuming office.
The following chart lists heads of state by lifespan (living heads of state on the green line), with the years outside of their tenure in beige. Heads of state with an unknown birth date or death date are shown with only their tenure or their earlier or later life.
The following chart shows heads of state by their age (living heads of state in green), with the years of their tenure in blue. Heads of state with an unknown birth or death date are excluded. The vertical black line at 35 years indicates the minimum age to be president.
See also
Notes
- Acting between 16 November and 11 January
- In opposition to 28 March 1945
- 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.