Hungary is facing a new political crisis after Prime Minister Péter Magyar introduced a constitutional amendment aimed at removing President Tamás Sulyok from office.
Magyar, who won a decisive victory in April’s elections, ending Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power, has repeatedly described Sulyok as “Orbán’s puppet” and pledged to remove him.
The amendment, submitted on Saturday, stipulates that the current president’s term would end one day after the constitutional changes take effect. Since the ruling Tisza party holds a constitutional majority in parliament, the amendments are expected to pass, with a vote potentially taking place as early as next week.
In addition to the presidency, the proposed constitutional changes would also affect the Constitutional Court by removing four judges through the introduction of a mandatory retirement age of 70. The proposal would also limit members of parliament to a maximum of 12 years in office.
President Tamás Sulyok has stated that he has no intention of resigning, calling the government’s initiative a threat to democracy and the rule of law, Euronews reported.
Meanwhile, Viktor Orbán’s opposition Fidesz party has condemned the move to remove the president as a step toward tyranny and has called for a protest on Thursday in support of Sulyok.
“The Tisza Party has crossed every line—human, moral, and legal. Hungarian voters did not give a mandate for this,” Orbán said.
The opposition argues that Sulyok was elected in accordance with the Constitution and that removing him would amount to a law tailored against a specific individual.
Meanwhile, a delegation from the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional matters, has visited Hungary and met with the president and government officials. Its findings have not yet been made public.
The European Commission has also announced that it is closely monitoring the constitutional amendment process in Hungary.
