List of heads of state of Hungary

The following is a list of 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.

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		Political party	Position(s)
1		Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894)	14 April 1849	11 August 1849	Opposition Party	Governor-President Also Prime Minister until 1 May 1849
—		Artúr Görgey (1818–1916)	11 August 1849	13 August 1849	Revolutionary Army	Dictator Acting civil and military authority

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)[]

Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)[]

Parties F48P–Károlyi

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
1		Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955)	16 November 1918	11 January 1919	F48P–Károlyi	Provisional President of the Republic Also Prime Minister
1		Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955)	11 January 1919	21 March 1919	F48P–Károlyi	President of the Republic

Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)[]

Parties MSZP/SZKMMP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
1		Sándor Garbai (1879–1947)	21 March 1919	1 August 1919	MSZP/SZKMMP	Chairman of the Central Executive Council

Hungarian People's Republic (1919)[]

Parties MSZDP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
1		Gyula Peidl (1873–1943)	1 August 1919	6 August 1919	MSZDP	Prime Minister Acting Head of State

Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)[]

Parties KNEP Independent

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
1	Archduke Joseph August (1872–1962)	7 August 1919	23 August 1919	Independent (Regent)	Regent of Hungary
—	István Friedrich (1883–1951)	23 August 1919	24 November 1919	KNP → KNEP	Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister
—	Károly Huszár (1882–1941)	24 November 1919	1 March 1920	KNEP	Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)[]

Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
2		Miklós Horthy (1868–1957)	1 March 1920	15 October 1944	24 years, 228 days	Independent	Regent of Hungary

Government of National Unity (1944–1945)[]

Parties NYKP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
1		Ferenc Szálasi (1897–1946)	16 October 1944	28 March 1945	163 days	NYKP	Leader of the Nation De facto, appointed by the Germans Also Prime Minister

Soviet-backed provisional governments (1944–1946)[]

Parties Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
—		Béla Miklós (1890–1948)	21 December 1944	25 January 1945	Independent	Head of State Also Prime Minister In opposition
—		High National Council	26 January 1945	1 February 1946	Multi-party	Collective Head of State In opposition to 28 March 1945

Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)[]

Parties FKGP MDP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
2		Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961)	1 February 1946	3 August 1948	FKGP	President of the Republic
3		Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	3 August 1948	23 August 1949	MDP	President of the Republic

Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)[]

Chairman of the Presidential Council[]

Parties MDP–MSZMP Independent

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
1	Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	23 August 1949	26 April 1950	MDP	Chairman of the Presidential Council
2	Sándor Rónai (1892–1965)	26 April 1950	14 August 1952
3	István Dobi (1898–1968)	14 August 1952	25 October 1956
(3)	István Dobi (1898–1968)	25 October 1956	14 April 1967	MSZMP
4	Pál Losonczi (1919–2005)	14 April 1967	25 June 1987
5	Károly Németh (1922–2008)	25 June 1987	29 June 1988
6	Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996)	29 June 1988	23 October 1989	Independent

Leader of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party[]

Parties MDP–MSZMP

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)	Notes
1	Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	12 June 1948	28 June 1953	MDP	General Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
1	Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	28 June 1953	18 July 1956		First Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
2	Ernő Gerő (1898–1980)	18 July 1956	25 October 1956
3	János Kádár (1912–1989)	25 October 1956	30/31 October 1956			Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965)
(3)		1 November 1956	28 March 1985	MSZMP
(3)		28 March 1985	27 May 1988		General Secretary
4	Károly Grósz (1930–1996)	27 May 1988	7 October 1989		General Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1987–1988)
5	Rezső Nyers (1923–2018)	26 June 1989	7 October 1989		Party President^[1]

Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989)[]

Parties MSZP SZDSZ Fidesz Independent

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)	Term (Election)
—	Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933)	23 October 1989	2 May 1990	MSZP	Provisional President of the Republic	—
—	Árpád Göncz (1922–2015)	2 May 1990	3 August 1990	SZDSZ	Acting President of the Republic	—
1		4 August 1990	4 August 1995		President of the Republic	1 (1990)
1		4 August 1995	4 August 2000			2 (1995)
2	Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011)	4 August 2000	5 August 2005	Independent		3 (2000)
3	László Sólyom (born 1942)	5 August 2005	6 August 2010	Independent		4 (2005)
4	Pál Schmitt (born 1942)	6 August 2010	2 April 2012 (resigned)	Fidesz		5 (2010)
—	László Kövér (born 1959)	2 April 2012	10 May 2012		Acting President of the Republic	—
5	János Áder (born 1959)	10 May 2012	8 May 2017		President of the Republic	6 (2012)
5	János Áder (born 1959)	8 May 2017	Incumbent		President of the Republic	7 (2017)
6	Katalin Novák (born 1977)	10 May 2022			President-elect	8 (2022)

References[]

^ While Grósz retained the title of General Secretary until 7 October, Nyers held the chairmanship of the Party's four-man presidency after the reorganization of the Party leadership on 26 June. This made him de facto chief executive of both the Party and the country after that date for several months in 1989.

External links[]

Rulers.org

[1] While Grósz retained the title of General Secretary until 7 October, Nyers held the chairmanship of the Party's four-man presidency after the reorganization of the Party leadership on 26 June. This made him de facto chief executive of both the Party and the country after that date for several months in 1989.

[1]

v t Heads of state of Hungary
Revolution of 1848	Kossuth Görgei
Kingdom (1867–1918)	Francis Joseph Charles IV
First Republic	Károlyi
Soviet Republic	Garbai Peidl
Republic (1919–20)	Joseph August Friedrich Huszár
Kingdom (1920–46)	Horthy Szálasi Miklós High National Council
Second Republic	Tildy Szakasits
People's Republic	Szakasits Rónai Dobi Losonczi Németh Straub
Third Republic	Szűrös Göncz Mádl Sólyom Schmitt Kövér Áder Novák (elected)
Italics indicates acting holder