Hungary’s Orban-allied president signs law change ending his term in office

BUDAPEST - Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has signed a constitutional amendment passed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s ruling Tisza party that ends his term as head of state, Sulyok said in a statement on July 18.

The legislation was part of Magyar’s drive to dismantle former prime minister Viktor Orban’s bastions of power, for which Magyar says he received a strong mandate from voters after ousting the right-wing leader in an April election landslide.

The amendment will end Sulyok’s term immediately, citing society’s “serious loss of confidence” in a leader elected in early 2024 by lawmakers from Orban’s Fidesz party.

Sulyok said he had no choice but to rubber-stamp the legislation as it respected the letter of the law. However, the former Constitutional Court judge warned the reform has harmed the rule of law in Hungary.

“The seventeenth amendment to the Constitution has marked a watershed in Hungary’s constitutional democracy,” Sulyok said.

“By removing public office holders in a manner that openly violates the rule of law... it sets a negative precedent that inflicts a deep wound on the constitutional values of democracy, the separation of powers, and the rule of law.”

Parliament, where Magyar’s centre-right Tisza party has a two-thirds majority that allows it to change any laws, will elect a new president until a new constitution takes effect, or for a maximum of five years.

The amendment also imposes a 12-year term limit on lawmakers and sets a retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges, which will force the court’s current president, Orban ally Peter Polt, to retire.

Since ousting Orban in April, Magyar has repeatedly called on Sulyok to step down, accusing him of failing to represent national unity on major issues and of serving the interests of Orban and his government.

Sulyok has so far resisted pressure to step down. REUTERS

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar (centre) has made repeated calls for the country’s president to step down, since ousting former prime minister Viktor Orban in April elections. PHOTO: REUTERS