Hungary’s parliament has passed a controversial constitutional amendment that removes President Tamás Sulyok from office. The decision marks one of the most far-reaching steps yet in new Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s efforts to dismantle the system built during Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.
The amendment was adopted by a vote of 139 to six after Magyar’s party Tisza, which won a landslide victory earlier this year and holds a two-thirds majority in parliament, pushed the reform through. Viktor Orbán’s party Fidesz boycotted the vote in protest.
According to the government, Sulyok, who took office as president in 2024 with Fidesz’s support, has lost public trust and failed to fulfill his constitutional role by not setting boundaries for what the new government describes as the Orbán era’s concentration of power.
The government argues that the president acted as a loyal ally of the former prime minister rather than as an independent head of state.
READ ALSO: EU Commissioner declares Hungary liberated: “Streets filled with joy and pride”
The reform allows parliament to elect a new president until a new constitution is adopted. If Sulyok refuses to sign the constitutional amendment within five days, the government has announced it will initiate formal impeachment proceedings to remove him.
The adopted reform also includes several other changes. Notably, it imposes a maximum term of twelve years for members of parliament and a retirement age of 70 for judges on the Constitutional Court, which means several judges appointed during Orbán’s rule will have to step down.
Cleansing Political Opponents
The government has also announced that an entirely new constitution will be drafted in consultation with the public later this autumn.
The decision has faced sharp criticism from Fidesz, which accuses the government of using its vast majority to purge political opponents. Sulyok himself has previously described the attempt to remove him as a politically motivated attack on the constitutional order.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Péter Magyar maintains that the measures are necessary to restore the rule of law and dismantle institutions that, according to him, enabled Viktor Orbán to consolidate his power during his 16 years as prime minister.