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Hungary’s president agrees to stand down after parliament backs removal
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has agreed to step down after parliament passed a constitutional amendment ending his term, following pressure from Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party. Sulyok, widely regarded as a loyalist of former prime minister Viktor Orbán, had five days to sign the change or face a prolonged constitutional crisis and impeachment proceedings; he signed as the deadline passed, while accusing the government of undermining the rule of law. The move marks the most dramatic step yet by Magyar's government since it swept to power in a landslide election victory in April, ending Orbán's 16-year rule.
The 17th constitutional amendment, passed overwhelmingly on Monday, cites a "serious loss of confidence" in Sulyok, ends his presidency at midnight on Sunday, removes the head of the Constitutional Court, and bars MPs who have served three terms from standing again, a rule affecting more than half of Orbán's Fidesz deputies. Orbán, who has rarely appeared in public since his defeat and has boycotted parliament, condemned the amendment as an act of tyranny and called for protests. Sulyok said the change represented a "breaking point in Hungarian constitutional democracy," while a former Supreme Court head told the BBC the move was justified given Fidesz's long capture of state institutions.
In short
- Hungary's President Sulyok agrees to resign after constitutional amendment
- New PM Magyar's Tisza party forced the change through parliament
- Amendment also curbs long-serving Fidesz MPs and reshapes top court
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The Tisza party's overwhelming parliamentary mandate reflects genuine public rejection of Orbán's systematic capture of state institutions, including the presidency and Constitutional Court, to entrench autocratic power. Using the constitutional amendment process to restore independent institutions is therefore a legitimate democratic remedy, not tyranny, particularly when a former Supreme Court head confirms that extraordinary measures were justified to undo years of institutional subversion and restore genuine rule of law.
The case against
Removing a sitting president through emergency constitutional amendments and retroactively barring opposition MPs from standing, regardless of the previous government's conduct, itself violates constitutional democracy and the rule of law. Applying extraordinary constitutional procedures selectively against a defeated opponent sets a dangerous precedent where each successive government reorders institutions and removes the other's officials, destabilising democracy itself. True rule of law requires accepting procedural legitimacy and constitutional stability even when disagreeing with predecessors' appointments.
Explained simply
Hungary's president has agreed to resign following political pressure from the country's new government. Tamás Sulyok, who became president in 2022, was widely seen as close to the previous administration and faced forced removal through a constitutional amendment passed by parliament. Rather than contest the measure through impeachment proceedings, he signed the amendment and will leave office by the end of the week.
The change comes after Viktor Orbán's centre-right Fidesz party lost power in April following 16 years in office. Péter Magyar's left-leaning Tisza party won a landslide election and has been moving quickly to reshape the country's key institutions. Orbán, the former prime minister, has largely stayed out of the public eye since his defeat but has called the president's removal an act of tyranny.
The constitutional amendment goes beyond removing the president alone. It also restructures Hungary's Constitutional Court and introduces new rules that limit how many consecutive terms MPs can serve, a change that would prevent more than half of Orbán's remaining deputies from standing for election again. The moves reflect a wider power struggle in Hungary as the new government seeks to reverse institutional changes made during Orbán's long tenure, raising questions about how democracies navigate transitions between rival political parties that have fundamentally reshaped the state.
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