Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok will leave office after accepting a constitutional amendment approved by parliament that removes him from his position, bringing an end to a political dispute following the country’s recent change of government.
Sulyok said he would sign the amendment before the constitutional deadline, officially ending his tenure at midnight on Sunday.
The amendment was introduced by Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party, which assumed power after defeating the administration led by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the country’s latest elections.
The government argued that Sulyok, who was widely viewed as being aligned with Orbán, no longer enjoyed public confidence and should step down from office.
Although he accepted the amendment, Sulyok criticised the move, describing it as a threat to Hungary’s constitutional democracy. He argued that the decision undermined the country’s constitutional principles and democratic values.
The amendment, which received overwhelming support in parliament, officially removes Sulyok from office on the grounds of a significant loss of public confidence.
It also includes provisions removing the head of Hungary’s Constitutional Court and preventing lawmakers who have served three parliamentary terms from contesting future elections, a measure expected to affect many members of Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán condemned the amendment, describing it as an abuse of power, and urged his supporters to protest the decision.
Following the parliamentary vote, members of the ruling Tisza party welcomed the amendment, while former Hungarian Supreme Court President András Baka publicly supported the removal of the president.
