The prime minister of Hungary (Hungarian: Magyarország miniszterelnöke) is the head of government of Hungary and the leader of the Hungarian cabinet.
Background
The office of prime minister was formally established during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, under the April Laws sanctioned by King Ferdinand V. The first prime minister was Lajos Batthyány, who took office on 17 March 1848, marking the beginning of constitutional and parliamentary government in Hungary.
Following the outbreak of the revolution, growing tensions between the Hungarian Diet and the Austrian imperial court led to Batthyány's resignation in September 1848. On 3 October 1848, Emperor Ferdinand appointed Count Ádám Récsey as prime minister, though this appointment was made without the approval of the Diet and was therefore unconstitutional under the April Laws.
Récsey attempted to dissolve the Hungarian Diet and reassert royal authority, but his actions were rejected by Hungarian leaders and the revolutionary government led by Lajos Kossuth. His term lasted only a few days. After Emperor Ferdinand abdicated on 7 October 1848 in favor of his nephew Franz Joseph I, Récsey was forced to resign and was briefly arrested.
The office of prime minister was restored following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, which created the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen within the Dual Monarchy. Since then, the prime minister has remained the head of government, responsible for directing the executive branch and leading the cabinet.
After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Hungary experienced several regime changes, including the First Hungarian Republic, the Hungarian Soviet Republic, and the second Kingdom of Hungary without a reigning monarch. The prime minister's role continued throughout these periods, though its powers varied depending on the form of government.
Following World War II, Hungary became a People's Republic under Soviet influence, during which the office of prime minister continued in name but held limited power under the Communist Party. After the fall of communism in 1989, Hungary re-established itself as a democratic parliamentary republic, and the prime minister once again became the head of a freely elected government accountable to the National Assembly.
The current prime minister is Viktor Orbán, who has served since 29 May 2010.
Kingdom of Hungary (1848–1849) and the Hungarian State (1849)
Parties Opposition Party (EP) Military
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Monarch (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| 1 | Count Lajos Batthyány (1807–1849) | 17 March 1848 | 2 October 1848 | 199 days | EP | Last Diet | Batthyány EP–KP | Ferdinand V (1835–1848) | |
| 1 (1848) | |||||||||
| President of the Committee of National Defence | |||||||||
| 2 | Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894) | 2 October 1848 | 2 May 1849 | 194 days | EP | 1 (1848) | Committee of National Defence EP–BP | ||
| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| — | Baron Ádám Récsey (1775–1852) appointed illegally | 3 October 1848 | 7 October 1848 | 4 days | Army | 1 (1848) | — | ||
| 3 | Bertalan Szemere (1812–1869) | 2 May 1849 | 11 August 1849 | 101 days | EP | Szemere EP–BP | Vacant | ||
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.
Kingdom of Hungary (1867–1918)
Parties Deák Party (DP)/Liberal Party (SZP)/National Party of Work (NMP) National Constitution Party (OAP)/48AP Party of Independence and '48 (F48P) Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Monarch (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| 4 | Count Gyula Andrássy (1823–1890) | 17 February 1867 | 14 November 1871 | 4 years, 270 days | DP | 3 (1865) | Andrássy DP | Francis Joseph I (1848–1916) | |
| 4 (1869) | |||||||||
| 5 | Count Menyhért Lónyay (1822–1884) | 14 November 1871 | 4 December 1872 | 1 year, 20 days | DP | Lónyay DP | |||
| 5 (1872) | |||||||||
| 6 | József Szlávy (1818–1900) | 4 December 1872 | 21 March 1874 | 1 year, 107 days | DP | Szlávy DP | |||
| 7 | István Bittó (1822–1903) | 21 March 1874 | 2 March 1875 | 346 days | DP | Bittó DP–BK | |||
| 8 | Count Béla Wenckheim (1811–1879) | 2 March 1875 | 20 October 1875 | 232 days | SZP | Wenckheim SZP | |||
| 9 | Kálmán Tisza (1830–1902) | 20 October 1875 | 13 March 1890 | 14 years, 144 days | SZP | 6 (1875) | K. Tisza SZP | ||
| 7 (1878) | |||||||||
| 8 (1881) | |||||||||
| 9 (1884) | |||||||||
| 10 (1887) | |||||||||
| 10 | Count Gyula Szapáry (1832–1905) | 13 March 1890 | 17 November 1892 | 2 years, 249 days | SZP | Szapáry SZP | |||
| 11 (1892) | |||||||||
| 11 | Sándor Wekerle (1848–1921) 1st term | 17 November 1892 | 14 January 1895 | 2 years, 58 days | SZP | Wekerle I SZP | |||
| 12 | Baron Dezső Bánffy (1843–1911) | 14 January 1895 | 26 February 1899 | 4 years, 43 days | SZP | Bánffy SZP | |||
| 12 (1896) | |||||||||
| 13 | Kálmán Széll (1843–1915) | 26 February 1899 | 27 June 1903 | 4 years, 121 days | SZP | Széll SZP | |||
| 13 (1901) | |||||||||
| 14 | Count Károly Khuen-Héderváry (1849–1918) 1st term | 27 June 1903 | 3 November 1903 | 129 days | SZP | Khuen-Héderváry I SZP | |||
| 15 | István Tisza (1861–1918) 1st term | 3 November 1903 | 18 June 1905 | 1 year, 227 days | SZP | I. Tisza I SZP | |||
| 16 | Baron Feldzeugmeister Géza Fejérváry (1833–1914) | 18 June 1905 | 8 April 1906 | 294 days | Ind. | 14 (1905) | Fejérváry SZP | ||
| (11) | Sándor Wekerle (1848–1921) 2nd term | 8 April 1906 | 17 January 1910 | 3 years, 284 days | OAP | 15 (1906) | Wekerle II F48P–OAP–KNP–PDP | ||
| (14) | Count Károly Khuen-Héderváry (1849–1918) 2nd term | 17 January 1910 | 22 April 1912 | 2 years, 96 days | NMP | 16 (1910) | Khuen-Héderváry II NMP | ||
| 17 | László Lukács (1850–1932) | 22 April 1912 | 10 June 1913 | 1 year, 49 days | NMP | Lukács NMP | |||
| (15) | Count István Tisza (1861–1918) 2nd term | 10 June 1913 | 15 June 1917 | 4 years, 5 days | NMP | I. Tisza II NMP | |||
| 18 | Count Móric Esterházy (1881–1960) | 15 June 1917 | 20 August 1917 | 66 days | Ind. | Esterházy NMP–F48P–OAP–KNP–PDP | Charles IV (1916–1918) | ||
| (11) | Sándor Wekerle (1848–1921) 3rd term | 20 August 1917 | 30 October 1918 | 1 year, 71 days | OAP → 48AP | Wekerle III NMP–F48P–OAP→48AP–KNP–PDP | |||
| 19 | Count János Hadik (1863–1933) | 30 October 1918 | 31 October 1918 | 1 day | OAP | Hadik not formed | |||
| 20 | Count Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) | 31 October 1918 | 16 November 1918 | 16 days | F48P | MNT | M. Károlyi F48P–PRP–MSZDP | ||
Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)
Parties F48P PRP (Civil Radical Party)
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | President (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Hungarian People's Republic | |||||||||
| (20) | Count Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) acting head of state | 16 November 1918 | 11 January 1919 | 56 days | F48P | MNT (—) | M. Károlyi F48P–PRP–MSZDP | Mihály Károlyi | |
| — | Dénes Berinkey (1871–1944) | 11 January 1919 | 18 January 1919 | 7 days | PRP | ||||
| 21 | 18 January 1919 | 21 March 1919 | 62 days | Berinkey F48P–PRP–MSZDP–OKGFP | |||||
Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)
Parties KMP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Chairman (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Chairman of the Revolutionary Governing Council of the Hungarian Soviet Republic | |||||||||
| 22 | Sándor Garbai (1879–1947) head of state | 21 March 1919 | 1 August 1919 | 133 days | KMP | TOGY (—) | Central Executive Council KMP | Himself (1919) | |
Counter-revolutionary governments (1919)
Parties Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||
| Prime Minister of the Counter-revolutionary Government of Hungary | |||||||
| — | Gyula Károlyi (1871–1947) in opposition | 5 May 1919 | 31 May 1919 | 68 days | Ind. | Arad | |
| 31 May 1919 | 6 June 1919 | Szeged I | |||||
| 6 June 1919 | 12 July 1919 | Szeged II | |||||
| — | Dezső Pattantyús-Ábrahám (1875–1973) in opposition | 12 July 1919 | 12 August 1919 | 31 days | Ind. | Szeged III | |
Hungarian People's Republic (1919)
Parties MSZDP
Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)
Parties KNP KNEP Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | President (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Hungarian Republic | |||||||||
| 24 | István Friedrich (1883–1951) | 7 August 1919 | 24 November 1919 | 109 days | Ind. → KNP → KNEP | — | Friedrich KNP→KNEP–OKGFP | Himself | |
| 25 | Károly Huszár (1882–1941) acting head of state | 24 November 1919 | 1 March 1920 | 98 days | KNEP | Huszár KNEP–OKGFP–MSZDP–NDPP | Himself | ||
Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)
Parties Christian National Union Party (KNEP) Unity Party (EP)/Party of National Unity (NEP)/Party of Hungarian Life (MÉP) Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Regent (Reign) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| (25) | Károly Huszár (1882–1941) | 1 March 1920 | 15 March 1920 | 14 days | KNEP | — | Huszár KNEP–OKGFP–MSZDP–NDPP | Miklós Horthy (1920–1944) | |
| 26 | Sándor Simonyi-Semadam (1864–1946) | 15 March 1920 | 19 July 1920 | 126 days | KNEP | 17 (1920) | Simonyi-Semadam KNEP–OKGFP | ||
| 27 | Count Pál Teleki (1879–1941) 1st term | 19 July 1920 | 14 April 1921 | 269 days | KNEP | Teleki I KNEP–OKGFP | |||
| 28 | Count István Bethlen (1874–1946) | 14 April 1921 | 24 August 1931 | 10 years, 132 days | EP | 18 (1922) | Bethlen (KNEP–OKGFP)→EP | ||
| 19 (1926) | |||||||||
| 20 (1931) | |||||||||
| 29 | Count Gyula Károlyi (1871–1947) | 24 August 1931 | 1 October 1932 | 1 year, 38 days | EP | G. Károlyi EP–KGSZP | |||
| 30 | Gyula Gömbös (1886–1936) | 1 October 1932 | 6 October 1936 (died in office) | 4 years, 5 days | NEP | 21 (1935) | Gömbös NEP | ||
| 31 | Kálmán Darányi (1886–1939) | 6 October 1936 | 12 October 1936 | 6 days | NEP | ||||
| 12 October 1936 | 14 May 1938 | 1 year, 214 days | Darányi NEP | ||||||
| 32 | Béla Imrédy (1891–1946) | 14 May 1938 | 16 February 1939 | 278 days | NEP | Imrédy NEP | |||
| (27) | Count Pál Teleki (1879–1941) 2st term | 16 February 1939 | 3 April 1941 (died in office) | 2 years, 46 days | MÉP | Teleki II MÉP | |||
| 22 (1939) | |||||||||
| — | Ferenc Keresztes-Fischer (1881–1948) acting | 3 April 1941 | 0 days | MÉP | |||||
| 33 | László Bárdossy (1890–1946) | 3 April 1941 | 7 March 1942 | 338 days | MÉP | Bárdossy MÉP | |||
| — | Ferenc Keresztes-Fischer (1881–1948) acting | 7 March 1942 | 9 March 1942 | 2 days | MÉP | ||||
| 34 | Miklós Kállay (1887–1967) | 9 March 1942 | 22 March 1944 (deposed) | 2 years, 13 days | MÉP | Kállay MÉP | |||
| 35 | Döme Sztójay (1883–1946) | 22 March 1944 | 29 August 1944 | 160 days | Ind. | Sztójay MÉP–MMP | |||
| 36 | General Géza Lakatos (1890–1967) | 29 August 1944 | 16 October 1944 (deposed) | 48 days | Ind. | Lakatos MÉP | |||
Government of National Unity (1944–1945)
Parties NYKP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Head of State (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| 37 | Ferenc Szálasi (1897–1946) head of state | 16 October 1944 | 7 May 1945 | 203 days | NYKP | Szálasi NYKP–MMP | Himself (1944–1945) | ||
Soviet-backed provisional governments (1944–1946)
Parties FKGP Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Head of State (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Hungary | |||||||||
| 38 | General Béla Miklós (1890–1948) | 22 December 1944 | 28 March 1945 | 96 days | Ind. | INGY (1944) | Provisional Government FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP–PDP | Himself (1944–1945) | |
| 28 March 1945 | 15 November 1945 | 232 days | High National Council (1945–1946) | ||||||
| 39 | Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961) | 15 November 1945 | 1 February 1946 | 78 days | FKGP | 23 (1945) | Tildy FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP | ||
Hungarian Republic (1946–1949)
Parties MKP FKGP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | Head of State (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary | |||||||||
| — | Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) acting | 1 February 1946 | 4 February 1946 | 3 days | MKP | 23 (1945) | Tildy FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP | Zoltán Tildy (1946–1948) | |
| 40 | Ferenc Nagy (1903–1979) | 4 February 1946 | 31 May 1947 (deposed) | 1 year, 116 days | FKGP | F. Nagy FKGP–MKP–MSZDP–NPP | |||
| — | Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) acting | 31 May 1947 | 0 days | MKP | |||||
| 41 | Lajos Dinnyés (1901–1961) | 31 May 1947 | 10 December 1948 | 1 year, 193 days | FKGP | Dinnyés (MKP–MSZDP)→MDP–FKGP–NPP | Árpád Szakasits (1948–1949) | ||
| 24 (1947) | |||||||||
| 42 | István Dobi (1898–1968) | 10 December 1948 | 20 August 1949 | 253 days | FKGP | Dobi MDP–FKGP–NPP | |||
Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)
Parties MDP/MSZMP MSZP Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | General Secretary (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic | |||||||||
| (42) | István Dobi (1898–1968) | 20 August 1949 | 14 August 1952 | 2 years, 360 days | Ind. | 25 (1949) | Dobi MDP | Mátyás Rákosi (1949–1956) | |
| 43 | Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) | 14 August 1952 | 4 July 1953 | 324 days | MDP | Rákosi MDP | |||
| 44 | Imre Nagy (1896–1958) 1st term | 4 July 1953 | 18 April 1955 | 1 year, 288 days | MDP | 26 (1953) | I. Nagy I MDP | ||
| 45 | András Hegedüs (1922–1999) | 18 April 1955 | 24 October 1956 | 1 year, 189 days | MDP | Hegedüs MDP | |||
| (44) | Imre Nagy (1896–1958) 2nd term | 24 October 1956 | 31 October 1956 | 11 days | MDP | I. Nagy II MDP→MSZMP–FKGP | Ernő Gerő (1956) | ||
| 3 November 1956 | 4 November 1956 (deposed) | I. Nagy III MSZMP–FKGP–MSZDP–PP | János Kádár (1956–1988) | ||||||
| 46 | János Kádár (1912–1989) 1st term | 4 November 1956 | 28 January 1958 | 1 year, 85 days | MSZMP | Kádár I MSZMP | |||
| 47 | Ferenc Münnich (1886–1967) | 28 January 1958 | 13 September 1961 | 3 years, 228 days | MSZMP | 27 (1958) | Münnich MSZMP | ||
| (46) | János Kádár (1912–1989) 2nd term | 13 September 1961 | 30 June 1965 | 3 years, 290 days | MSZMP | Kádár II MSZMP | |||
| 28 (1963) | |||||||||
| 48 | Gyula Kállai (1910–1996) | 30 June 1965 | 14 April 1967 | 1 year, 288 days | MSZMP | Kállai MSZMP | |||
| 49 | Jenő Fock (1916–2001) | 14 April 1967 | 15 May 1975 | 8 years, 31 days | MSZMP | 29 (1967) | Fock MSZMP | ||
| 30 (1971) | |||||||||
| 50 | György Lázár (1924–2014) | 15 May 1975 | 25 June 1987 | 12 years, 41 days | MSZMP | 31 (1975) | Lázár MSZMP | ||
| 32 (1980) | |||||||||
| 33 (1985) | |||||||||
| 51 | Károly Grósz (1930–1996) | 25 June 1987 | 24 November 1988 | 1 year, 152 days | MSZMP | Grósz MSZMP | |||
| 52 | Miklós Németh (born 1948) | 24 November 1988 | 23 October 1989 | 333 days | MSZMP | Németh MSZMP→MSZP | Károly Grósz (1988–1989) | ||
Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989)
Parties MSZP MDF Fidesz Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Party | Assembly (Election) | Cabinet | President (Term) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Tenure | |||||||
| Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary | |||||||||
| — | Miklós Németh (born 1948) acting | 23 October 1989 | 23 May 1990 | 212 days | MSZP | — | Németh MSZP | Mátyás Szűrös (1989–1990) | |
| 53 | József Antall (1932–1993) | 23 May 1990 | 12 December 1993 (died in office) | 3 years, 203 days | MDF | 34 (1990) | Antall MDF–FKGP–KDNP | Árpád Göncz (1990–2000) | |
| 54 | Péter Boross (born 1928) | 12 December 1993 | 21 December 1993 | 9 days | MDF | ||||
| 21 December 1993 | 15 July 1994 | 206 days | Boross MDF–EKGP–KDNP | ||||||
| 55 | Gyula Horn (1932–2013) | 15 July 1994 | 6 July 1998 | 3 years, 356 days | MSZP | 35 (1994) | Horn MSZP–SZDSZ | ||
| 56 | Viktor Orbán (born 1963) 1st term premiership | 6 July 1998 | 27 May 2002 | 3 years, 325 days | Fidesz | 36 (1998) | Orbán I Fidesz–FKGP–MDF | ||
| Ferenc Mádl (2000–2005) | |||||||||
| 57 | Péter Medgyessy (born 1942) | 27 May 2002 | 29 September 2004 | 2 years, 125 days | Ind. | 37 (2002) | Medgyessy MSZP–SZDSZ | ||
| 58 | Ferenc Gyurcsány (born 1961) | 29 September 2004 | 14 April 2009 | 4 years, 197 days | MSZP | Gyurcsány I MSZP–SZDSZ | |||
| 38 (2006) | Gyurcsány II MSZP–SZDSZ | László Sólyom (2005–2010) | |||||||
| 59 | Gordon Bajnai (born 1968) | 14 April 2009 | 29 May 2010 | 1 year, 45 days | Ind. | Bajnai MSZP | |||
| (56) | Viktor Orbán (born 1963) 2nd term premiership | 29 May 2010 | 31 December 2011 | 1 year, 216 days | Fidesz | 39 (2010) | Orbán II Fidesz–KDNP | Pál Schmitt (2010–2012) | |
| Prime Minister of Hungary | |||||||||
| (56) | Viktor Orbán (born 1963) 2nd term premiership | 1 January 2012 | Incumbent | 13 years, 352 days | Fidesz | 39 (2010) | Orbán II Fidesz–KDNP | János Áder (2012–2022) | |
| 40 (2014) | Orbán III Fidesz–KDNP | ||||||||
| 41 (2018) | Orbán IV Fidesz–KDNP | ||||||||
| 42 (2022) | Orbán V Fidesz–KDNP | Katalin Novák (2022–2024) | |||||||
| Tamás Sulyok (2024–present) | |||||||||
Timeline
See also
- List of Hungarian monarchs
- List of heads of state of Hungary
- List of palatines of Hungary
- List of prime ministers of Hungary by tenure
- List of prime ministers of Hungary (graphical)
- Records of prime ministers of Hungary
Sources
- Bölöny, József – Hubai, László: Magyarország kormányai 1848–2004 [Cabinets of Hungary 1848–2004], Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 2004 (5th edition).
- Izsák, Alajos – Pölöskei, Ferenc – Romsics, Ignác – Urbán, Aladár: Magyar miniszterelnökök 1848–2002 [Prime ministers of Hungary 1848–2002], Kossuth Kiadó, Budapest, 2003.
- Markó, László: A magyar állam főméltóságai Szent Istvántól napjainkig – Életrajzi Lexikon [The High Officers of the Hungarian State from Saint Stephen to the Present Days – A Biographical Encyclopedia] (2nd edition); Helikon Kiadó Kft., 2006, Budapest; ISBN 963-547-085-1.
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