# List of heads of state of Hungary

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This article lists the 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.
The current head of state of Hungary is President of the Republic Tamás Sulyok, former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. He was elected on 26 February 2024 and took office on 5 March 2024.
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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| 1 | | Lajos Kossuth (1802–1894) | 14 April 1849 | 11 August 1849 | 119 days | Opposition Party | Governor-President Also Prime Minister until 2 May 1849 |
| — | | Artúr Görgei (1818–1916) | 11 August 1849 | 13 August 1849 | 2 days | 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.

## Hungarian People's Republic (1918–1919)

Parties  F48P–Károlyi
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| 1 | | Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) | 16 November 1918 | 11 January 1919 | 125 days | F48P–Károlyi | Provisional President of the Republic Also Prime Minister |
| 1 | | Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955) | 11 January 1919 | 21 March 1919 | 125 days | F48P–Károlyi | President of the Republic |

## Hungarian Soviet Republic (1919)

Parties  MSZP/SZKMMP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| 1 | | Sándor Garbai (1879–1947) | 21 March 1919 | 1 August 1919 | 133 days | MSZP/SZKMMP | Chairman of the Central Executive Council |

## Hungarian People's Republic (1919)

Parties  MSZDP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| — | | Gyula Peidl (1873–1943) | 1 August 1919 | 6 August 1919 | 5 days | MSZDP | Prime Minister Acting Head of State |

## Hungarian Republic (1919–1920)

Parties  KNEP  Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| 1 | | Archduke Joseph August (1872–1962) | 7 August 1919 | 23 August 1919 | 16 days | Independent (Regent) | Regent of Hungary |
| — | | István Friedrich (1883–1951) | 23 August 1919 | 24 November 1919 | 93 days | KNP → KNEP | Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister |
| — | | Károly Huszár (1882–1941) | 24 November 1919 | 1 March 1920 | 98 days | KNEP | Acting Head of State Also Prime Minister |

## Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)

Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | 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 | Term of office | 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| — | | Béla Miklós (1890–1948) | 21 December 1944 | 25 January 1945 | 35 days | Independent | Head of State Also Prime Minister In opposition |
| — | | High National Council | 26 January 1945 | 1 February 1946 | 1 year, 6 days | 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 | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| 1 | | Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961) | 1 February 1946 | 3 August 1948 | 2 years, 184 days | FKGP | President of the Republic |
| 2 | | Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965) | 3 August 1948 | 23 August 1949 | 1 year, 20 days | MDP | President of the Republic |

## Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989)
### Chairman of the Presidential Council

Parties  MDP–MSZMP  Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) |
| 1 | | Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965) | 23 August 1949 | 26 April 1950 | 246 days | MDP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| 2 | | Sándor Rónai (1892–1965) | 26 April 1950 | 14 August 1952 | 2 years, 110 days | MDP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| 3 | | István Dobi (1898–1968) | 14 August 1952 | 25 October 1956 | 14 years, 243 days | MDP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| (3) | | István Dobi (1898–1968) | 25 October 1956 | 14 April 1967 | 14 years, 243 days | MSZMP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| 4 | | Pál Losonczi (1919–2005) | 14 April 1967 | 25 June 1987 | 20 years, 72 days | MSZMP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| 5 | | Károly Németh (1922–2008) | 25 June 1987 | 29 June 1988 | 1 year, 4 days | MSZMP | Chairman of the Presidential Council |
| 6 | | Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996) | 29 June 1988 | 23 October 1989 | 1 year, 116 days | Independent | Chairman of the Presidential Council |

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

Parties  MDP–MSZMP
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | Notes |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) | Notes |
| 1 | | Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) | 12 June 1948 | 28 June 1953 | 8 years, 36 days | MDP | General Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1952–1953) |
| 1 | | Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971) | 28 June 1953 | 18 July 1956 | 8 years, 36 days | MDP | First Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1952–1953) |
| 2 | | Ernő Gerő (1898–1980) | 18 July 1956 | 25 October 1956 | 99 days | MDP | First Secretary | |
| 3 | | János Kádár (1912–1989) | 25 October 1956 | 31 October 1956 | 31 years, 210 days | MDP | First Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965) |
| (3) | | János Kádár (1912–1989) | 31 October 1956 | 28 March 1985 | 31 years, 210 days | MSZMP | First Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965) |
| (3) | | János Kádár (1912–1989) | 28 March 1985 | 22 May 1988 | 31 years, 210 days | MSZMP | General Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965) |
| 4 | | Károly Grósz (1930–1996) | 22 May 1988 | 26 June 1989 | 1 year, 35 days | MSZMP | General Secretary | Also Prime Minister (1987–1988) |
| 5 | | Rezső Nyers (1923–2018) | 26 June 1989 | 7 October 1989 | 103 days | MSZMP | Party President | |

## Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989)

Parties  MSZP  SZDSZ  Fidesz  Independent
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party | Position(s) | Term (Election) |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political party | Position(s) | Term (Election) |
| — | | Mátyás Szűrös (born 1933) | 23 October 1989 | 2 May 1990 | 191 days | MSZP | Provisional President of the Republic | — |
| — | | Árpád Göncz (1922–2015) | 2 May 1990 | 2 August 1990 | 10 years, 93 days | SZDSZ | Acting President of the Republic | — |
| 1 | | Árpád Göncz (1922–2015) | 3 August 1990 | 2 August 1995 | 10 years, 93 days | SZDSZ | President of the Republic | 1 (1990) |
| 1 | | Árpád Göncz (1922–2015) | 3 August 1995 | 3 August 2000 | 10 years, 93 days | SZDSZ | President of the Republic | 2 (1995) |
| 2 | | Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011) | 4 August 2000 | 4 August 2005 | 5 years | Independent | President of the Republic | 3 (2000) |
| 3 | | László Sólyom (1942–2023) | 5 August 2005 | 5 August 2010 | 5 years | Independent | President of the Republic | 4 (2005) |
| 4 | | Pál Schmitt (born 1942) | 6 August 2010 | 2 April 2012 (resigned) | 1 year, 240 days | Fidesz | President of the Republic | 5 (2010) |
| — | | László Kövér (born 1959) | 2 April 2012 | 10 May 2012 | 38 days | Fidesz | Acting President of the Republic | — |
| 5 | | János Áder (born 1959) | 10 May 2012 | 9 May 2017 | 10 years | Fidesz | President of the Republic | 6 (2012) |
| 5 | | János Áder (born 1959) | 10 May 2017 | 10 May 2022 | 10 years | Fidesz | President of the Republic | 7 (2017) |
| 6 | | Katalin Novák (born 1977) | 10 May 2022 | 26 February 2024 (resigned) | 1 year, 292 days | Fidesz | President of the Republic | 8 (2022) |
| — | | László Kövér (born 1959) | 26 February 2024 | 5 March 2024 | 8 days | Fidesz | Acting President of the Republic | — |
| 7 | | Tamás Sulyok (born 1956) | 5 March 2024 | Incumbent | 1 year, 1 day | Independent | President of the Republic | 9 (2024) |