Hungary’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment on Monday to oust President Tamás Sulyok from his ceremonial post. The measure passed decisively with 139 votes in favor and only six opposing.
The legislative action is the latest effort by Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his center-right Tisza party to dismantle the political network established by former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Magyar, who secured a two-thirds supermajority in an April election, has repeatedly referred to Sulyok as a political enabler for the previous administration.
Lawmakers from Orbán’s Fidesz party boycotted the parliamentary session entirely. In response to the sweeping changes, Fidesz caucus leader Gergely Gulyás announced his resignation, arguing the new measures restrict democratic processes. Sulyok now has a five-day window to sign the legislation into law. Magyar’s government stated it will launch immediate impeachment proceedings if the president refuses.
Beyond removing the president, the amendment enacts a 12-year term limit on lawmakers and creates a dedicated office to investigate alleged financial abuses during Orbán’s 16-year tenure. The legislation also restores a mandatory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges, according to AP News.
The move is the most aggressive legislative reform since the political shift in the spring. Orbán, who is currently traveling in the United States for the World Cup, posted a photograph of Magyar on social media captioned “Democratic Hungary: 1990-2026”. The parliamentary mandate allows the Tisza party to unilaterally rewrite the constitution, reflecting the power shift following their landslide victory earlier this year.