Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar proposed the candidacy of legendary chess player Judit Polgar for the presidency of the country. However, the athlete refused to run, stating that she is not ready to take on such responsibility. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Magyar announced his intention on his Facebook page. According to him, Polgar's candidacy was proposed by "authoritative representatives of public life" in Hungary.
"Therefore, tomorrow I will meet with her and ask if she is ready to take on this role until the adoption of the new Constitution and serve the country in a new capacity," wrote Peter Magyar.
Shortly after, Judit Polgar also made a statement on Facebook, thanking for the trust shown, but said she does not intend to participate in the elections.
"I consider the initiative to nominate me for the presidency of the republic the greatest honor of my life, I am extremely grateful for this," Polgar wrote.
At the same time, she emphasized that she is not ready to take on the historical responsibility for uniting the nation, so she refuses the offer.
After the chess player's statement, Peter Magyar thanked her for her response and expressed hope that she would continue to serve the country in another role.
"Dear Judit! Thank you for what you have done for Hungary! I think on behalf of many millions of Hungarians I can say: let it be in a different role, but in the future we count on you!" the prime minister said.
According to Hungarian media, Polgar's candidacy was publicly supported by the parliamentary faction of the Tisza Party. At the same time, some politicians pointed out that the initiative was not preceded by broad public consultations, despite previous promises by the authorities.
According to previously adopted legislative changes, the powers of President Tamás Sulyok were terminated as of July 20. Until the election of a new head of state, the duties of the president are temporarily performed by the Speaker of Parliament, Ágnes Forsthoffer.
By law, parliament must elect a new president within 30 days.
Earlier, representatives of the Tisza Party repeatedly stated that they support the introduction of direct presidential elections. In this regard, it is not excluded that the new president will hold office only temporarily — until the adoption of the new Constitution of Hungary.