Key Facts
Career & Education
About
János Áder (born May 9, 1959, in Csorna, Hungary) is a Hungarian lawyer and politician who served as President of Hungary from May 10, 2012, to May 10, 2022. A long-time member of the right-wing Fidesz party, he participated in the 1989 Hungarian Round Table Talks that facilitated the transition from communism to democracy. Áder studied law at Eötvös Loránd University, graduating in 1983, and worked as a researcher at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1986 to 1990. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1990, representing his hometown of Csorna, and served until 2009, including as Speaker from 1998 to 2002. He held key Fidesz leadership roles, such as temporary party president (2002-2003) and parliamentary group leader (2002-2006). From 2009 to 2012, he was a Member of the European Parliament, serving as Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. Elected President in 2012 after Pál Schmitt's resignation, Áder was re-elected in 2017, becoming the first president since Árpád Göncz to serve two full terms. As a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, he played a key role in Orbán's efforts to reshape Hungary's judiciary and constitutional framework, signing numerous laws criticized for undermining judicial independence, media freedom, and democratic checks, contributing to accusations of enabling Hungary's shift toward illiberal democracy and authoritarian control. Controversies include his role in constitutional amendments and sovereignty assertions against EU pressures on rule-of-law issues. Since leaving office, Áder has focused on environmental advocacy through the Blue Planet Foundation. He is married to judge Anita Herczegh and has four children: Orsolya, András, Borbála, and Júlia.