Hungarian lawmakers are expected to vote on Monday on a constitutional amendment that would remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, as Prime Minister Péter Magyar accelerates his campaign to dismantle the political legacy of his nationalist predecessor, Viktor Orbán.
Magyar, whose Tisza party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in April's elections on a promise of 'regime change,' has repeatedly called Sulyok a 'puppet' of the former leader. The 70-year-old president, a former head of the constitutional court, was elected by parliament in 2024 and is widely seen as an Orbán loyalist.
The proposed 12-point amendment, which Magyar's majority can pass without opposition support, also includes a 12-year or three-term limit on lawmakers—a provision that would bar several prominent opposition figures from running in 2030. It would restore the constitutional court's power to review budgetary acts and reintroduce a mandatory retirement age of 70 for its judges, reversing a 2013 change enacted under Orbán. Four sitting judges over 70, including court president Peter Polt—another Orbán ally—would be forced out.
A Controversial Path to Reform
Orbán's Fidesz party has denounced the amendment as 'autocratic,' a charge often leveled against Orbán himself during his 16-year rule. Rights watchdogs have also voiced concerns. Amnesty International said Sulyok is 'entitled to due process,' while Human Rights Watch called the maneuver 'reminiscent of the Fidesz era.'
But Andras Baka, a former head of Hungary's supreme court whose own mandate was cut short by a similar legislative act in 2011, argued the method is justified given the circumstances. 'In a country governed by the rule of law such extraordinary measures cannot be used, but Hungary became a captured state under Orbán,' Baka told AFP. State officials like the president, he added, 'were appointed not to restrain the government's power, but to ensure the political survival of the former system even after an electoral defeat.'
Magyar has called on Sulyok to resign since taking office, branding him unworthy for failing to challenge Orbán's divisive rhetoric and attacks on the rule of law. Sulyok has refused, calling the demands 'incomprehensible' and arguing the amendment violates 'the principles of the rule of law, democracy and the separation of powers.' If the amendment passes and Sulyok refuses to sign it, Magyar has said Tisza will initiate impeachment proceedings.
While Hungary's presidency is largely ceremonial, Sulyok can veto laws or refer them to the constitutional court—but not block a constitutional amendment. A May poll by the 21 Research Centre found 67% of Hungarian voters want him removed. Sulyok replaced fellow Orbán ally Katalin Novak, the first woman to hold the office, who resigned in 2024 after pardoning a man convicted in a child abuse case.
The amendment also mandates the creation of a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office with sweeping powers to combat corruption, which watchdogs saw as endemic under Orbán. Magyar's push to undo the concentration of power that marked Orbán's self-styled 'illiberal' premiership has drawn praise from pro-European conservatives but also scrutiny from international observers. The vote is scheduled for 18:15 local time.
