Kövér said Göncz would be remembered “even if we only knew his works as a writer and literary translator,” adding however that Göncz “was loved and respected as a politician as well, and even long after he had left office”. Kövér said Göncz played a key role in shaping historical events, standing up against both fascism and communism.

He noted that Göncz was jailed after the failed 1956 uprising against Soviet rule but was released on an amnesty in 1963. While in prison, he learned English and went on to become a literary translator after his release.

Göncz became active again in politics in the latter half of the 1980s and was a founding member of the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ). In May 1990, he was elected a member of parliament and soon became its Speaker.

The two dominant parties in parliament, the Hungarian Democratic Forum and his own SZDSZ elected him to a full five-year term as president. In 1995 he was reelected for another term.

Parliament observed a minute of silence in his honour. Göncz died on October 6 at the age of 93.

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MTI photo: Soós Lajos