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.