Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar plans to amend the constitution to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office.
This move represents a direct confrontation between the new administration and the remnants of the previous government. By targeting Sulyok, a loyalist to former leader Viktor Orbán, Magyar aims to dismantle the illiberal network and cronyism established during Orbán's tenure.
Magyar announced the plan in mid-April 2026, shortly after the parliamentary election defeat of Viktor Orbán [2]. The prime minister said the change could be enacted as early as May 5, 2026 [4]. This timeline follows the end of a 16-year grip on power held by Orbán [1].
In a direct challenge to the presidency, Magyar said, "You are an 'unworthy' president; I ask you to resign" [6]. The prime minister framed the removal as a necessary step to cleanse the state of the former regime's influence. He said, "We will make the necessary decisions promptly" [6].
President Sulyok remains in office as a figure tied to the previous administration's policies. The effort to amend the constitution is the primary mechanism Magyar intends to use to force the president's departure. This legal strategy follows weeks of political shifts after the general election [1].
The transition occurs in Budapest, where the new government is attempting to reset the country's institutional framework. The clash highlights the difficulty of removing high-ranking officials who were appointed under the previous leadership's long-term dominance.
“"You are an 'unworthy' president; I ask you to resign."”
The attempt to amend the constitution to remove a president signals a systemic overhaul of the Hungarian state. Rather than waiting for the natural end of a term, the new government is utilizing legal mechanisms to purge the executive branch of loyalists from the previous 16-year era. This sets a precedent for how the administration intends to handle the institutional legacy of the Orbán government.
