The
parliament in Hungary has confirmed Jan Ader as the new Hungarian president.
The choice, though expected, is controversial in some quarters.
The
Hungarian parliament on Wednesday confirmed Jano Ader, a close long-term ally
of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the country's new president.
Ader, who
is a co-founder of the Fidesz party and member of the European Parliament since
2009, was elected to a five-year term by a vote of 262-40. The result was
expected, though the far-right Jobbik party voted against him and the vote was
boycotted by some other opposition parties.
The
52-year-old Ader was nominated by Orban last month following Pal Schmitt's
resignation after being stripped of his 1992 doctorate on plagiarism charges.
Ader will formally assume office on May 10.
In his
first address to parliament after taking the oath, Ader struck a conciliatory
note.
"We
may have different values, different convictions and faith, but we all have one
country, and that is Hungary," he said.
He also
warned against putting down others and having double standards.
Growing
tensions with EU
The choice
of Ader as president is, however, likely to further strain relations between
Budapest and the European Union of which it is a member. The EU and civil
rights groups fear that Orban and Fidesz, which holds a two-thirds majority in
parliament, are trying to monopolize power, with a resulting reduction of basic
freedoms and civil rights.
An analyst
at the Nezopont Institute in Budapest, Orsolya Szomszed, said Ader was voted
into the position because of his fidelity to the government.
"The
main criteria for Ader's election was loyalty to the governing majority,"
he said.
The choice
of Ader is also controversial within Hungary itself. The Socialists, the Green
LMP and a new faction led by former prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany boycotted
the vote, saying a key member of the ruling party could not represent national
unity as required by the constitution.
A lawyer by
training, Ader drafted the government's 2011 overhaul of the judiciary system,
which the European Commission has referred to the European Court of Justice
over concerns that it limits courts' independence. He also drew up Hungary's new
election system, which opposition parties say will tip future elections in
Fidesz's favor.
The
Hungarian president has a mostly ceremonial role, but is also the head of the
army and must sign all legislation into law after it has been approved by
parliament.
tj/mz (AP, AFP)
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