„I don’t think I have enough strength to take on the historical responsibility of uniting a divided nation, so I cannot accept this offer,“ J. Polgar wrote on social media.
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The Prime Minister of Hungary earlier on Monday proposed former chess champion J. Polgar as a candidate for the presidency, which will become vacant following a constitutional amendment passed last week.
„Our country needs unity, peace, and a president whom all Hungarians can be proud of,“ P. Magyar said in a Facebook post, adding that he would meet with J. Polgar on Tuesday to ask if she would agree to run.
Hungarian parliamentarians passed an amendment last week providing for the removal of the current president Tamás Sólyom, a former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ally.
P. Magyar, who won a landslide victory in April and promised a „regime change“ after 16 years of V. Orbán’s rule, accused the unpopular president and other top state officials of being puppets of V. Orbán.
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Sunday was T. Sólyom’s last day in office as president. The duties of head of state will be temporarily performed by the Speaker of Parliament, Ágnes Forsthóffer, until the parliament elects a new president within 30 days.
Some human rights groups criticized this constitutional amendment. According to Human Rights Watch, such changes „resemble the Fidesz era,“ referring to V. Orbán’s party.
J. Polgar, who will turn 50 in a few days, is considered the greatest chess player of all time. She was at the top of the rankings for 25 years until she retired from professional sport in 2014.
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