Hungary’s president is currently elected by parliament in a secret ballot. Staudt said that under the current laws, a simple majority is enough to elect a candidate president.

He said the ruling Fidesz party’s nominee, and therefore the eventual winner, is decided solely by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán without the party’s MPs having a fair say in the nomination.

Staudt criticised the system for not giving the opposition a bigger say in the president’s election.

He said the five-party talks should be used to lay down the technical rules of a direct presidential election, such as the number of rounds it would consist of, the validity threshold or rules on who could be nominated.

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MTI photo: Marjai János