Hungary's parliament elected ruling Fidesz party lawmaker Katalin Novak as the country's first woman president on Thursday, buttressing Prime Minister Viktor Orban's nationalist agenda which has triggered conflict with the European Union.
The 44-year-old Novak has served as deputy chair of Orban's Fidesz and was family affairs minister in charge of his economic support agenda for the middle class, including subsidies for housing, state-backed home loans and tax cuts.
Analysts say Orban, who faces a close election in less than four weeks, had appealed to female voters in picking the mother of three to the largely ceremonial role of president for a five-year term.
