List of Prime Ministers of Hungary

Prime Minister of Hungary
Flag of Hungary
Incumbent Gordon Bajnai since 14 April 2009
Appointer	László Sólyom as the Head of State
Term length	four years
Inaugural holder	Lajos Batthyány
Formation	17 March 1848
Website	The Prime Minister's Office

The Prime Minister of Hungary (Hungarian: miniszterelnök) is the head of government in Hungarian politics. He or she is the leader of a political coalition in the Hungarian parliament (the Országgyűlés) and the leader of the cabinet.

Hungary

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Hungary

President László Sólyom Prime minister Gordon Bajnai National Assembly Political parties Fidesz - MDF - MSZP - SZDSZ - Jobbik Other parties Constitutional Court Elections 1990 - 1994 - 1998 - 2002 - 2006 Regions Counties Subregions Cities, towns, and villages Politics of the European Union Foreign relations

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Election and appointment of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is officially appointed by the President of Hungary. According to the Hungarian Constitution, the President shall appoint the leader of the political party with the majority of the votes in the Parliament as Prime Minister. If there is no party with a majority, the leader of the largest party is asked to attempt to form a government. Therefore, the election of members of a certain party to parliament is the equivalent to a vote for that party's leader for Prime Minister.

History of the office

The first government of Hungary

Palatine of Hungary

The palatine (Latin: comes palatii, comes palatinus, later palatinus (regni), Hungarian: nádorispán/ nádor, Slovak: nádvorný župan/ nádvorný špán, later: palatín / nádvorník, German: Palatin) was the highest dignitary in the Kingdom of Hungary after the king (a kind of powerful Prime Minister and supreme judge) from the kingdom's rise up to 1848/1918.

Initially, he was in fact the representative of the king, later the vice-regent (viceroy). In the early centuries of the kingdom, he was appointed by the king, later elected by the Diet of the Kingdom of Hungary. After the Habsburgs solidified their hold of Hungary, the dignity became an appointed position once again. Finally, it became hereditary in a cadet (junior) branch of the Habsburg dynasty after King Francis appointed his brother Joseph.

List of Heads of Government of Hungary (1848-Present)

Hungarian Revolution of 1848

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Head of State
	Lajos Batthyány	17 March 1848	2 October 1848	Opposition Party	King Ferdinand V
	Ádám Récsey	3 October 1848	26 November 1848	Independent
	Lajos Kossuth as the President of the OHB	26 November 1848	1 May 1849	Opposition Party	King Francis Joseph
	Bertalan Szemere	2 May 1849	11 August 1849

After the collapse of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, Hungary became an integral part of the Austrian Empire until 1867, when dual Austro-Hungarian Monarchy was created.

Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (1867-1918)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Head of State
	Gyula Andrássy	17 February 1867	14 November 1871	Deák Party	King Francis Joseph
	Menyhért Lónyay	14 November 1871	4 December 1872
	József Szlávy	4 December 1872	1 March 1874
	István Bittó	1 March 1874	2 March 1875
	Béla Wenckheim	2 March 1875	20 October 1875	Liberal Party
	Kálmán Tisza	20 October 1875	13 March 1890
	Gyula Szapáry	13 March 1890	17 November 1892
	Sándor Wekerle	17 November 1892	14 January 1895
	Dezső Bánffy	14 January 1895	26 February 1899
	Kálmán Széll	26 February 1899	27 June 1903
	Károly Khuen-Héderváry	27 June 1903	3 November 1903
	István Tisza	3 November 1903	18 June 1905
	Géza Fejérváry	18 June 1905	8 April 1906	Independent
	Sándor Wekerle	8 April 1906	17 January 1910	Constitution Party
	Károly Khuen-Héderváry	17 January 1910	22 April 1912	Party of National Work
	László Lukács	22 April 1912	10 June 1913
	István Tisza	10 June 1913	15 June 1917
	Móric Esterházy	15 June 1917	20 August 1917	Constitution Party of 48	King Charles IV
	Sándor Wekerle	20 August 1917	31 October 1918
	János Hadik	31 October 1918	1 November 1918

Hungarian Democratic Republic (1918-1919)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	President
	Mihály Károlyi also Head of State	1 November 1918	11 January 1919	Independence Party
	Dénes Berinkey Acting until 19 January	11 January 1919	22 March 1919	Civil Radical Party	Mihály Károlyi

Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	President
	Sándor Garbai also Head of State with Béla Kun	22 March 1919	23 June 1919	Socialist Party of Hungary
	Antal Dovcsák	24 June 1919	1 August 1919		Sándor Garbai with Béla Kun
	Gyula Peidl also Head of State with Béla Kun	1 August 1919	6 August 1919	MSZDP

Counter-Revolutionary Governments (1919)

Prime Ministers

Romanian Occupation (1919-1920)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party
	István Friedrich also Head of State from 23 October	7 August 1919	24 November 1919	Independent → KNEP
	Károly Huszár also Head of State	24 November 1919	1 March 1920	KNEP

Kingdom of Hungary (Regency)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Head of State
	Sándor Simonyi-Semadam	14 March 1920	19 July 1920	KNEP	Regent Miklós Horthy
	Pál Teleki	19 July 1920	14 April 1921
	István Bethlen	14 April 1921	19 August 1931	KNEP → Unity Party
	Gyula Károlyi	19 August 1931	4 October 1932	Unity Party
	Gyula Gömbös	4 October 1932	6 October 1936	Party of National Unity
	Kálmán Darányi	12 October 1936	14 May 1938
	Béla Imrédy	14 May 1938	16 February 1939
	Pál Teleki	16 February 1939	3 April 1941	Party of Hungarian Life
	László Bárdossy	3 April 1941	7 March 1942
	Miklós Kállay	9 March 1942	23 March 1944
	Döme Sztójay appointed by the Germans	23 March 1944	29 August 1944	Independent
	Géza Lakatos	29 August 1944	16 October 1944

Hungarian State (1944-1945)

Prime Minister

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party
	Ferenc Szálasi de facto also Head of State (Leader of the Nation)	16 October 1944	28 March 1945	Arrow Cross Party

Soviet Backed Provisional Governments (1944-1946)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party
	Béla Dálnoki Miklós in opposition to 13 February 1945	22 December 1944	15 November 1945	Independent
	Zoltán Tildy	15 November 1945	1 February 1946	FKGP

Hungarian Republic (1946-1949)

Prime Ministers

People's Republic of Hungary (1949-1989)

Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	Head of State	Secretary General
	István Dobi	20 August 1949	14 August 1952	MDP	Sándor Rónai	Mátyás Rákosi
	Mátyás Rákosi	14 August 1952	4 July 1953		István Dobi
	Imre Nagy	4 July 1953	18 April 1955
	András Hegedüs	18 April 1955	24 October 1956
	Imre Nagy	24 October 1956	4 November 1956			Ernő Gerő
	János Kádár	4 November 1956	28 January 1956	MSZMP		János Kádár
	Ferenc Münnich	28 January 1958	13 September 1961
	János Kádár	13 September 1961	30 June 1965
	Gyula Kállai	30 June 1965	14 April 1967
	Jenő Fock	14 April 1967	15 May 1975		Pál Losonczi
	György Lázár	15 May 1975	25 June 1987
	Károly Grósz	25 June 1987	23 November 1988		Károly Németh
	Miklós Németh	23 November 1988	3 May 1990		Brunó Ferenc Straub	Károly Grósz

Republic of Hungary (1989-Present)

Prime Ministers

Picture	Name	From	Until	Political Party	President
	József Antall	3 May 1990	12 December 1993	MDF	Árpád Göncz
	Péter Boross Acting until 21 December	12 December 1993	15 July 1994
	Gyula Horn	15 July 1994	6 July 1998	MSZP
	Viktor Orbán	6 July 1998	27 May 2002	Fidesz
	Péter Medgyessy	27 May 2002	29 September 2004	Independent, supported by MSZP-SZDSZ	Ferenc Mádl
	Ferenc Gyurcsány	29 September 2004	14 April 2009	MSZP	László Sólyom
	Gordon Bajnai	14 April 2009	Incumbent Term expires: 2010	Independent, supported by MSZP-SZDSZ

See also

• List of Hungarian rulers
• List of heads of state of Hungary