Orbán loyalist Katalin Novák elected Hungary’s first female president

Result will buttress nationalist agenda of prime minister, though Novak has denied being his puppet'

Hungary's parliament has elected the ruling Fidesz party lawmaker Katalin Novak as the country's first female president, buttressing the nationalist agenda of the prime minister, Viktor Orban, which has triggered acrimony with the EU.

Novak, 44, 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.