BUDAPEST — Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced plans to amend the constitution to remove President Tamás Sulyok after Sulyok refused to resign. Magyar and Sulyok met at the presidential Sándor Palace on Monday morning, following Magyar’s repeated calls for the president to step down by a May 31 deadline.
“Hungary does not belong to Tamás Sulyok, nor to Viktor Orbán. It doesn't belong to a single party or political system,” Magyar said. He added that he would instruct lawmakers from his party to begin “necessary procedures” to remove the president, a process he estimated would take about a month.
Magyar accused Sulyok of failing to uphold his constitutional duties, citing instances such as not speaking out when Viktor Orbán made dehumanizing remarks about political opponents and when the previous government banned the LGBTQ+ Pride event. “The constitution states quite clearly that the president showcases the unity of the nation and guards the democratic functioning of the state,” Magyar said. He argued that “it is in Hungary’s interest that this institution—the office of the president—regain the prestige that has been eroded by its silence and inaction.”
Magyar’s Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority in parliament, which it secured in an April election. That supermajority enables it to pass constitutional amendments without opposition support. However, Magyar did not specify what constitutional change would be used to remove Sulyok.
Gergely Gulyás, caucus leader of Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, criticized the move. “In a constitutional democracy, it is not conceivable that a president is forcibly removed before his term of office ends,” Gulyás said. He added, “If this is the path taken by the new government majority, then we can safely say that it is misusing the authority it was granted.” Sulyok’s office released a statement on Friday saying Magyar’s demands “adversely affect both the constitutional functioning and the authority of the institution of the President of the Republic.” Sulyok, who was appointed by Orbán’s party, has requested a legal assessment of the conflict from the Venice Commission, a body of legal experts within the Council of Europe.