Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that he will offer Judit Polgar the position of next president of Hungary. Magyar called Judit a person capable of representing national unity.

Magyar said that he will meet with Polgar and ask if she is ready to take the post of head of state. The announcement came after President Tamas Sulyok’s term was terminated. The reason was the recently adopted amendment to Hungary’s Constitution. Parliament must elect a new president within 30 days.

16 leading figures from Hungarian science, culture, and sports sent an open letter to the Speaker of National Assembly, Agnes Forsthoffer, recommending Polgar for the presidency. Judit has not publicly commented on the proposal at the time of publication.

According to Hungary’s Constitution, the president is elected by Parliament in a secret ballot. Following the recent constitutional amendment, the next president will serve until the new Hungarian Constitution takes effect or for up to five years.

Hungarian GM Judit Polgar is the only female player in history to reach 2700+. She reached a peak rating of 2735, and held the No. 1 spot for female players for 26 years before retiring in 2014. Judit was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2021 for her achievements and contributions to the game.

Credit: Crystal Fuller