After eight years in office, Monika Karas is stepping down from her post as President of the National Media and Communications Authority and its Media Council, online news portal 24.hu reported. Karas is expected to continue as Vice President of the State Audit Office, with her position being taken by the rector of the National University of Public Service, András Koltay.
President János Áder appointed Monika Karas as the President of the National Media and Communications Authority in August of 2013 for a nine-year term. Her service will fall short of the full period, however, since as of October 31st she will have officially stepped down from her post.
Under Karas’s leadership, 24.hu states there was practically “no obstacle in the way of right-wing media concentration.” The members of the Media Council, responsible for ensuring the proper functioning of democratic freedoms in Hungarian media, were all appointed by Fidesz.
Karas’ term would have been completed in September 2022, but due to her resignation, 24.hu explained that the Fidesz-led parliamentary majority will decide on a successor before next year’s general elections, whose service will be “set in stone” for the next nine years.
András Koltay, the rector of the National University of Public Service, has been chosen as Karas’s successor. Therefore, his term will last from 2021 until 2030.
Featured photo illustration by Péter Komka/MTI
