László Sólyom was a legal scholar who became Hungary’s third post-communism president, helping to guide the country towards a free-market democracy during a time of difficult transition.
- Died: October 8, 2023 (Who else died on October 8?)
- Details of death: Died in Budapest, Hungary, after a long illness at the age of 81.
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László Sólyom’s legacy
After graduating from the University of Pécs in 1965, Sólyom spent two decades as a law professor at several institutions. He began his political career in the late 1980s as a legal advisor and co-founder of the Hungarian Democratic Forum and the environmental organization Duna Kör, or Danube Circle. As the country moved away from communism, his party pushed for Hungary’s transition to a parliamentary democracy.
Sólyom left politics when he was elected to the Constitutional Court of Hungary – effectively their Supreme Court – for which he quickly became president. He held the position for nearly a decade, helping to lay the groundwork for the democracy’s rise in Hungary. His efforts helped eliminate capital punishment, broadened freedom of expression, and protected homosexual domestic partnerships. His tenure ended in 1998, after which he returned to work as a legal scholar.
In 2005, he was nominated as, and eventually became, President of Hungary. Serving in the position until 2010, Sólyom called attention to environmental issues, pushed for better treatment of ethnic minorities in the country, and took a measured stance on the U.S. “Global War on Terrorism.” Sólyom was a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the International Commission of Jurists, among other positions.
Notable quote
“The mere fact that over six hundred people were able to break out from the section of Germany fenced off with a wall, with barbed wire, and with a command to fire on all who attempt to flee, and to reach the section of Germany that was free, deserves commemoration.”—from a 2009 speech on the 20th Anniversary of the Pan-European Picnic in Sopronpuszta
Tributes to László Sólyom
Full obituary: The New York Times
