Hungarian President Sulyok to Sign Amendment Leading to His Own Removal

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has declared he will sign a constitutional amendment that effectively mandates his own removal from office. Sulyok, a political ally of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is set to leave his post on Monday.

The constitutional changes, which Sulyok has countersigned, are designed to enact significant political reforms. According to Peter Magyar, a key opposition figure, these decisions aim to restore certainty to the Hungarian people, ensuring that power is limited, common property is reclaimed, and the state serves its citizens. Magyar stated that the Orbán regime had been attempting to erode these principles for years.

Sulyok acknowledged that the parliamentary decision leading to his dismissal is unconstitutional but stated he sees no legal recourse to challenge it. Legal experts had previously suggested that the Constitutional Court could only have objected to the parliamentary decision on procedural grounds, not substantive ones.

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With these decisions, we are giving something back to the Hungarian people that the Orbán regime has been trying to take for many years: the certainty that power is limited, common property is reclaimed, and the state can once again serve its citizens, the free Hungarian citizens.

In a public address, Sulyok lamented that any Hungarian head of state would now be "at the mercy of the executive and politics" and would lack any "control function." Magyar had accused Sulyok, who has served as president since 2024, of supporting Orbán's policies.

The constitutional amendment also includes provisions for the automatic retirement of constitutional judges upon reaching the age of 70. This affects four of the current 15 judges, including Chairman Peter Polt, who is considered loyal to Orbán. Furthermore, the amendment limits the tenure of members of parliament to twelve years starting in 2030, which would prevent Orbán from seeking re-election if he were still eligible. A new office will also be established to recover state assets.

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the executive and politics and 'no control function' anymore