Hungary’s parliament is expected to vote on Monday on a constitutional amendment proposed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s government to remove President Tamas Sulyok from office.
The move is part of broader reforms by Magyar’s administration following its landslide election victory in April, which ended former Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year rule.
Magyar has described Sulyok as a “puppet” of Orban and said the government had a strong mandate to dismantle structures established during the previous administration.
Although Hungary’s president has limited executive powers, the office remained an important symbol of national unity and could review or delay legislation.
Magyar’s Tisza party holds a parliamentary supermajority, enabling it to amend the constitution and reverse policies it said weakened democratic institutions.
The government had already begun implementing reforms, including changes aimed at restructuring public media and strengthening its independence.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Magyar said parliament would approve the amendment on Monday, adding that impeachment proceedings could begin if Sulyok refused to sign the legislation within five days.
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Sulyok, who served as a Constitutional Court judge for a decade before becoming president in 2024, had maintained that he had no political agenda.
He had opposed the amendment and requested an opinion from the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe that assessed the democratic standards of constitutional reforms.
The commission had not publicly commented on the request. Meanwhile, members of Orban’s Fidesz party recently staged a protest in support of Sulyok, although the former prime minister did not participate.
Magyar is expected to address parliament before the vote on the bill, which also proposed a 12-year limit on lawmakers’ terms.
According to the draft legislation, the amendment is intended to create “the preconditions for the restoration of constitutional democracy.”
If approved, the measure would immediately end Sulyok’s tenure, citing what it described as a “serious loss of confidence” in the president.
Parliament would then elect a new president to serve until a new constitution takes effect or for a maximum period of five years.
NAN
