Hungary’s President Signs Amendment Ending Term Amid Political Shake-Up

In a significant political development, Hungary’s president signed a constitutional amendment on Saturday that concludes his term in office. This follows a conflict with the new government that aimed to remove him as part of a broader effort to replace officials linked to former leader Viktor Orbán.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who won a decisive victory over Orbán in the April elections, had urged President Tamás Sulyok to step down. Magyar argued that Sulyok was ineffective in opposing antidemocratic measures implemented by Orbán’s administration. Sulyok’s refusal to resign led lawmakers of Magyar’s pro-European, center-right Tisza party to pass a constitutional amendment this week. This amendment required Sulyok to end his term.

Sulyok had five days to enact the amendment, which he ultimately signed on the last permissible day. In a Facebook video on Saturday evening, Sulyok commented on the situation. He referred to the signing as “lasting proof that the fundamental values of a free society, the rule of law, and democracy have been trampled on in the interest of power.” His term officially concludes at midnight on Monday, with Parliament Speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer temporarily assuming presidential duties until a new president is elected within 30 days.

Since taking office in May, Magyar has begun dismantling what he terms Orbán’s “mafia,” removing many political appointees and institutional heads who supported Orbán’s government. The new administration suspended Hungary’s public television and radio services, labeling them a “propaganda factory” for Orbán’s party, and disbanded the Sovereignty Protection Office, an authority viewed as a tool for suppressing dissent and silencing independent media.

The amendment that ended Sulyok’s term included provisions for judicial reforms, established an office to investigate financial abuses during Orbán’s rule, and imposed a 12-year term limit for lawmakers. Orbán reacted to these changes in a Facebook post on Saturday, stating that “tyranny is no longer a threat, but a reality.” He warned, “If this could be done to the president of the republic, then tomorrow no one will be safe.”

Conversely, in a Facebook video on Saturday, Magyar declared that the amendment fulfilled several key promises and restored what the Orbán administration had undermined for many years. Magyar also announced plans to convene his party on Monday to discuss potential candidates for the presidency.