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Lawmakers voted against the nomination with 138 votes opposed, none in favor and one abstention.
The previous chief prosecutor, Gábor Bálint Nagy, submitted his resignation on July 22, with his mandate ending on August 25.
Baka announced last week that he had nominated Szathmáry, head of the Criminal and Fundamental Cases Department at the Prosecutor’s Office, to fill the post.
Presenting the nomination in Parliament last Monday, the president said public trust in the prosecution service had collapsed and its standing had reached “rock bottom.” He said he had therefore sought a candidate whose career was unburdened by political ties and who knew the service from within.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said last Tuesday that the governing Tisza Party’s parliamentary group would not support Szathmáry. He asked the president to propose a new candidate so that a chief prosecutor could be elected as soon as possible.
The presidential Sándor Palace responded that Baka had made his recommendation and that the decision was Parliament’s task and responsibility.
According to press reports cited by MTI, Tisza’s opposition to the nominee may have been partly linked to his brother, a department head at the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, who is reportedly a suspect in the so-called “gold convoy” case. The case concerns a prosecution following the seizure of a Ukrainian cash-transport vehicle in March.
Under Hungary’s Fundamental Law, Parliament elects the chief public prosecutor for a nine-year term on the president’s recommendation. The appointment requires a two-thirds majority.
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