Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar is pushing a constitutional amendment to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office.
The move signals a significant shift in the country's governance as the current administration seeks to dismantle political institutions established during the tenure of former leader Viktor Orbán. By targeting the presidency, Magyar aims to reset the executive balance of power in Budapest.
Magyar said the president has lost public trust, making his continued tenure untenable. The prime minister's effort to strip Sulyok of his office is part of a broader strategy to remove proteges of the previous administration from key positions of power [3].
According to reports, the Hungarian Parliament, known as the Országgyűlés, was scheduled to vote on the amendment on Monday [1]. The process requires a change to the constitution to legally facilitate the removal of the president [2].
This legislative push follows a period of transition in Hungarian politics. Magyar said the hunt for those aligned with the previous regime has already begun [3]. The effort to oust Sulyok represents one of the most direct challenges to the remaining institutional remnants of the Orbán era.
President Sulyok has not issued a formal response to the specific constitutional challenge, but the move places the presidency in a precarious legal position. The outcome of the parliamentary vote will determine whether the head of state remains in office or if the constitution is altered to allow for his immediate removal [1], [2].
“Magyar said the president has lost public trust”
This action reflects a deeper systemic purge of the previous administration's influence. By altering the constitution to remove a sitting president, the Magyar government is demonstrating that institutional norms established under Viktor Orbán are being viewed as obstacles to a new political order, potentially setting a precedent for how future leadership transitions are handled in Hungary.
