List of heads of state of Hungary facts for kids

This article tells you about the leaders of Hungary, called heads of state. These leaders have guided Hungary from its declaration of independence in 1849, during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, all the way to today.

Currently, Ágnes Forsthoffer is the acting President of Hungary. She took on this role on July 20, 2026, after President Tamás Sulyok's term ended early due to new laws. Ágnes Forsthoffer will serve until the new President, András Baka, officially starts his job on August 19, 2026.

If you want to learn about even older rulers of Hungary, like kings and princes, you can check out the List of Hungarian monarchs.

Hungarian State (1849)

Parties       EP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
Governor–President of the Hungarian State
1		Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894) also prime minister	14 April 1849	11 August 1849	119 days	Opposition Party (EP)
—		General Artúr Görgei (1818–1916) acting	11 August 1849	13 August 1849	2 days	Revolutionary Army

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)

Further information: List of Hungarian monarchs and House of Habsburg-Lorraine

Name Reign Coronation	Portrait	Arms	Birth Parentage	Marriage(s) Issue	Death Burial	Notes
House of Habsburg-Lorraine (1867–1918)
Franz Joseph I 54th king of Hungary 29 May 1867 ┃ 21 November 1916 (49 years, 176 days) 8 June 1867 Buda			18 August 1830 Vienna Son of Archduke Franz Karl of Austria and Princess Sophie of Bavaria	Elisabeth of Bavaria 24 April 1854 Vienna four children	21 November 1916 Vienna aged 86 Capuchin Crypt, Vienna, Archduchy of Austria	Nephew of Ferdinand V, grandson of Francis I
Charles IV Blessed Charles 55th king of Hungary 21 November 1916 ┃ 16 November 1918 (1 year, 360 days) 30 December 1916 Budapest			17 August 1887 Persenbeug-Gottsdorf Son of Archduke Otto of Austria and Princess Maria Josepha of Saxony	Zita of Bourbon-Parma 21 October 1911 Schwarzau eight children	1 April 1922 Funchal aged 34 Church of Our Lady, Funchal, Portugal	Great-nephew of Francis Joseph I, second great grandson of Francis I

Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)

Parties       F48P–Károlyi

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
President of the People's Republic of Hungary
—		Count Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) also prime minister	16 November 1918	11 January 1919	125 days	Party of Independence and '48 (F48P–Károlyi)
1			11 January 1919	21 March 1919

Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)

Parties       KMP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
Chairman of the Central Executive Council of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
1		Sándor Garbai (1879–1947) also prime minister	21 March 1919	1 August 1919	133 days	Hungarian Communist Party (KMP)

Hungarian People's Republic (1919)

Parties       MSZDP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
Provisional President of the Hungarian People's Republic
—		Gyula Peidl (1873–1943) acting, also prime minister	1 August 1919	6 August 1919	5 days	Social Democratic Party of Hungary (MSZDP)

Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)

Parties       KNP       KNEP       Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
Regent of the Hungarian Republic
1		Archduke Joseph August (1872–1962)	7 August 1919	23 August 1919	16 days	Independent
Provisional President of the Hungarian Republic
—		István Friedrich (1883–1951) acting, also prime minister	23 August 1919	24 November 1919	93 days	Christian National Party (KNP; Aug–Oct 1919) Christian National Union Party (KNEP; Oct–Nov 1919)
—		Károly Huszár (1882–1941) acting, also prime minister	24 November 1919	1 March 1920	98 days	Christian National Union Party (KNEP)

Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)

Further information: Regent of Hungary

      Independent       NYKP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary
1		Miklós Horthy (1868–1957)	1 March 1920	15 October 1944	24 years, 228 days	Independent
Vacant (15 October 1944 – 4 November 1944)
Leader of the Nation of Hungary
1		Ferenc Szálasi (1897–1946) also prime minister	4 November 1944	7 May 1945	184 days	Arrow Cross Party (NYKP)
Head of State of Hungary
—		General Béla Miklós (1890–1948) in opposition, also prime minister	21 December 1944	25 January 1945	35 days	Independent
—		High National Council collective	26 January 1945	1 February 1946	1 year, 6 days	Multi-party

Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)

Parties       FKGP       MDP

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
President of the Hungarian Republic
1		Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961)	1 February 1946	3 August 1948	2 years, 184 days	Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party (FKGP)
2		Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	3 August 1948	23 August 1949	1 year, 20 days	Hungarian Working People's Party (MDP)

Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)

Parties       MDP–MSZMP       Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
Chairman of the Presidential Council of the Hungarian People's Republic
1		Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	23 August 1949	26 April 1950	246 days	Hungarian Working People's Party (MDP)
2		Sándor Rónai (1892–1965)	26 April 1950	14 August 1952	2 years, 110 days	Hungarian Working People's Party (MDP)
3		István Dobi (1898–1968)	14 August 1952	14 April 1967	14 years, 243 days	Independent (Aug 1952–1959)
						Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (MSZMP) (1959–Apr 1967)
4		Pál Losonczi (1919–2005)	14 April 1967	25 June 1987	20 years, 72 days	Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (MSZMP)
5		Károly Németh (1922–2008)	25 June 1987	29 June 1988	1 year, 4 days	Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (MSZMP)
6		Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996)	29 June 1988	23 October 1989	1 year, 116 days	Independent

Leaders of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party

The leader of the Hungarian Working People's Party / Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the country's de facto chief executive; the officeholders are listed below.

Parties       MDP–MSZMP

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Notes
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
General Secretary of the Hungarian Working People's Party
		Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	12 June 1948	28 June 1953	5 years, 16 days	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
First Secretary of the Hungarian Working People's Party
		Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	28 June 1953	18 July 1956	3 years, 20 days
		Ernő Gerő (1898–1980)	18 July 1956	25 October 1956	99 days
		János Kádár (1912–1989)	25 October 1956	31 October 1956	6 days
First Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
		János Kádár (1912–1989)	31 October 1956	28 March 1985	28 years, 148 days	Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965)
General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
		János Kádár (1912–1989)	28 March 1985	22 May 1988	3 years, 55 days
		Károly Grósz (1930–1996)	22 May 1988	26 June 1989	1 year, 35 days	Also Prime Minister (1987–1988)
President of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
		Rezső Nyers (1923–2018)	26 June 1989	7 October 1989	103 days

Hungary (from 1989)

Parties       MSZP       SZDSZ       Fidesz       Tisza Party       Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party	Term (Election)
			Took office	Left office	Tenure
President of the Hungarian Republic
—		Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933) provisional	23 October 1989	2 May 1990	191 days	Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP)	—
—		Árpád Göncz (1922–2015)	2 May 1990	3 August 1990	10 years, 93 days	Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ)	—
1			3 August 1990	3 August 2000			1 (1990)
							2 (1995)
2		Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011)	4 August 2000	4 August 2005	5 years	Independent	3 (2000)
3		László Sólyom (1942–2023)	5 August 2005	5 August 2010	5 years	Independent	4 (2005)
4		Pál Schmitt (born 1942)	6 August 2010	31 December 2011	1 year, 147 days	Fidesz	5 (2010)
President of the Republic of Hungary
(4)		Pál Schmitt (born 1942)	1 January 2012	2 April 2012 (resigned)	92 days	Fidesz	5 (2010)
—		László Kövér (born 1959) acting	2 April 2012	10 May 2012	38 days	Fidesz	—
5		János Áder (born 1959)	10 May 2012	10 May 2022	10 years	Fidesz	6 (2012)
							7 (2017)
6		Katalin Novák (born 1977)	10 May 2022	26 February 2024 (resigned)	1 year, 292 days	Fidesz	8 (2022)
—		László Kövér (born 1959) acting	26 February 2024	5 March 2024	8 days	Fidesz	—
7		Tamás Sulyok (born 1956)	5 March 2024	19 July 2026	2 years, 136 days	Independent	9 (2024)
—		Ágnes Forsthoffer (born 1980) acting	20 July 2026	18 August 2026	29 days	Tisza Party	—
8		András Baka (born 1952)	Assuming office on 19 August 2026		2 days	Independent	10 (2026)

Timeline

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of the heads of state of Hungary. They are listed in order of first assuming office.

The following chart lists heads of state by lifespan (living heads of state on the green line), with the years outside of their tenure in beige. Heads of state with an unknown birth date or death date are shown with only their tenure or their earlier or later life.

The following chart shows heads of state by their age (living heads of state in green), with the years of their tenure in blue. Heads of state with an unknown birth or death date are excluded. The vertical black line at 35 years indicates the minimum age to be president.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Presidentes de Hungría para niños

• List of Hungarian monarchs
• List of prime ministers of Hungary