Tamás Sulyok, Hungary’s president, signed a constitutional amendment on Saturday night that ends his term at midnight on Sunday, yielding to a law change steamrolled through parliament by Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party. Sulyok, widely seen as a loyalist of former prime minister Viktor Orbán – who lost power in April after 16 years – had five days to sign the amendment or risk impeachment proceedings. He confirmed his decision as the deadline passed, but accused Magyar’s government of violating the rule of law. In a statement, Sulyok said the amendment marked a “breaking point in Hungarian constitutional democracy” and that “core values of a free society … have been trampled underfoot for the sake of political power.”
Orbán, whose Fidesz party held power from 2010 until 2026, described the amendment as an act of tyranny and called for protests. Since the April election, his party has been in free fall, with Orbán hardly seen in public and refusing to take his seat in parliament. The 141 Tisza deputies in parliament gave a standing ovation as the results of the vote were announced on Monday. András Baka, former head of Hungary’s Supreme Court, told the BBC: “I quite agree with the removal of the president.” Baka argued that Fidesz had captured state institutions and created an authoritarian regime designed to survive electoral defeat, and said breaking it up is “very difficult.”
“Hungary's President Tamás Sulyok signs amendment ending his term, yielding to new government's purge of Orbán loyalists.”
The removal of Sulyok marks the latest dramatic move by the Tisza government, which has swept through major constitutional changes since its landslide victory in April. The European Union has hailed Hungary’s “wind of change” and unlocked €16.4bn for the new prime minister. Sulyok’s signature on Saturday brings to a close a dispute between him and the new government, which saw the president as a puppet of the former regime.
