Supreme judge not elected

The Monday election of the supreme judge was valid but brought no results. Mária Orbán received the majority of the votes, but could not collect the necessary 2/3.


Out of the 386 MPs 364 voted, 203 votes were in favor, there were 152 against and nine votes were declared invalid. László Sólyom, President of Hungary nominated Mária Orbán to the post after his previous candidate, András Baka former judge of the European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg was not elected either.
Despite of the current refusal Sólyom declared he will nominate Mária Orbán again for the post.
For the election of chairman of the Supreme Court 257 votes in favor are needed. The mandate of Zoltán Lomnici, former chairman expired in the end of June 2008.
The governing MSzP faction ordered a vote of conscience about the supreme judge nominee, said the faction leader of the party. The vote of conscience means the MPs can decide whether to vote in favor or against based on their own knowledge of the nominee. Earlier three democratic oppositional parties, Fidesz, KNDP and MDF, declared their support for Mária Orbán along with the National Jurisdictional Council that did not support Sólyom’s former candidate.

The BpSun Staff

12.12.2008