List of heads of state of Hungary

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)

Further information: List of Hungarian monarchs

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		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		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
—		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		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
—		Károly Huszár (1882–1941) acting, also prime minister	24 November 1919	1 March 1920	98 days	KNEP

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)

  Independent   NYKP

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		Ferenc Szálasi (1897–1946) also prime minister	4 November 1944	7 May 1945	184 days	NYKP
Head of State of Hungary
—		General Béla Miklós (1890–1948) in opposition, also prime minister	21 December 1944	25 January 1945	35 days	Independent
—		High National Council collective [b]	26 January 1945	1 February 1946	1 year, 6 days	Multi-party

Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)

Parties   FKGP   MDP

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		István Dobi (1898–1968)	14 August 1952	25 October 1956	14 years, 243 days	MDP
			25 October 1956	14 April 1967		MSZP
4		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		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.

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
—		Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933) acting	23 October 1989	2 May 1990	191 days	MSZP	—
—		Árpád Göncz (1922–2015)	2 May 1990	2 August 1990	10 years, 93 days	SZDSZ	—
1			3 August 1990	2 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	9 May 2017	10 years	Fidesz	6 (2012)
			10 May 2017	10 May 2022			7 (2017)
6		Katalin Novák (born 1977)	10 May 2022	26 February 2024 (resigned)	1 year, 292 days	Fidesz	8 (2022)
—		László Kövér (born 1959) acting	26 February 2024	5 March 2024	8 days	Fidesz	—
7		Tamás Sulyok (born 1956)	5 March 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 277 days	Independent	9 (2024)

Timeline

See also

• Biography portal
• Hungary portal
• Lists portal
• Politics portal

• List of Hungarian monarchs
• List of prime ministers of Hungary

Notes

1. Acting between 16 November and 11 January
2. In opposition to 28 March 1945