Janos Ader, a member of the European Parliament, has been elected as Hungary's new president, UK Press Association reported.

Mr Ader replaces Pal Schmitt, who resigned in April after Hungary's Semmelweis University stripped him of his doctoral degree over charges that he had plagiarised his 1992 thesis.

Analysts say the step guarantees that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's governing Fidesz party will still be able to enact legislation without fear of presidential interference.

Hungarian members of parliament elected Mr Ader to a five-year term by a vote of 262-40. While Hungary's presidency is largely ceremonial, the head of state has the power to send bills back to Parliament for reconsideration or refer them to the Constitutional Court.

The election is sure to fan increasing tensions between Budapest and the European Union. The EU and civil rights groups fear that Mr Orban and Fidesz are engaged in a power grab that restricts basic freedoms and civil rights in Hungary, an EU member.

Mr Ader, 52, becomes Hungary's youngest president since the fall of communism in 1989. He is also the first president to take office under Hungary's new constitution, which took effect on January 1.