List of heads of state of Hungary

This is a list of heads of state of Hungary, since the establishment of the Hungarian State in 1849 until the present day in 2022 .

Hungarian State (1849) change

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
	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

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
	Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955)	16 November 1918	11 January 1919	F48P–Károlyi	Provisional President of the Republic Also Prime Minister
	Mihály Károlyi (1875–1955)	11 January 1919	21 March 1919	F48P–Károlyi	President of the Republic

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
	Sándor Garbai (1879–1947)	21 March 1919	1 August 1919	MSZP/SZKMMP	Chairman of the Central Executive Council

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
	Gyula Peidl (1873–1943)	1 August 1919	6 August 1919	MSZDP	Prime Minister Acting Head of State

Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
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

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
		Miklós Horthy (1868–1957)	1 March 1920	15 October 1944	24 years, 228 days	Independent	Regent of Hungary

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	Position(s)
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Political party	Position(s)
		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

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

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
	Zoltán Tildy (1889–1961)	1 February 1946	3 August 1948	FKGP	President of the Republic
	Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	3 August 1948	23 August 1949	MDP	President of the Republic

Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)
Árpád Szakasits (1888–1965)	23 August 1949	26 April 1950	MDP	Chairman of the Presidential Council
Sándor Rónai (1892–1965)	26 April 1950	14 August 1952
István Dobi (1898–1968)	14 August 1952	25 October 1956
István Dobi (1898–1968)	25 October 1956	14 April 1967	MSZMP
Pál Losonczi (1919–2005)	14 April 1967	25 June 1987
Károly Németh (1922–2008)	25 June 1987	29 June 1988
Brunó Ferenc Straub (1914–1996)	29 June 1988	23 October 1989	Independent

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

Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Political party	Position(s)	Notes
Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	12 June 1948	28 June 1953	MDP	General Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
Mátyás Rákosi (1892–1971)	28 June 1953	18 July 1956		First Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1952–1953)
Ernő Gerő (1898–1980)	18 July 1956	25 October 1956
János Kádár (1912–1989)	25 October 1956	30/31 October 1956			Also Prime Minister (1956–1958 and 1961–1965)
	1 November 1956	28 March 1985	MSZMP
	28 March 1985	27 May 1988		General Secretary
Károly Grósz (1930–1996)	27 May 1988	7 October 1989		General Secretary	Also Prime Minister (1987–1988)
Rezső Nyers (1923–2018)	26 June 1989	7 October 1989		Party President

Hungarian Republic / Hungary (from 1989) change

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	—
	4 August 1990	4 August 1995		President of the Republic	1 (1990)
	4 August 1995	4 August 2000			2 (1995)
Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011)	4 August 2000	5 August 2005	Independent		3 (2000)
László Sólyom (born 1942)	5 August 2005	6 August 2010	Independent		4 (2005)
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	—
János Áder (born 1959)	10 May 2012	8 May 2017		President of the Republic	6 (2012)
János Áder (born 1959)	8 May 2017	10 May 2022		President of the Republic	7 (2017)
Katalin Novák (born 1977)	10 May 2022	26 February 2024		President of the Republic	8 (2022)
László Kövér (born 1959)	26 February 2024	Incumbent		Acting President of the Republic	—
Tamás Sulyok (born 1956)	5 March 2024	Elect	Independent	President of the Republic	9 (2024)