Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has signed a constitutional amendment ending his term as head of state. The seventeenth amendment to the Fundamental Law was passed by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's ruling Tisza party and announced by Sulyok on Facebook this Saturday. His mandate will end the day after the law takes effect.
The amendment cites a serious loss of confidence in the president, whom lawmakers claim has impeded national progress by remaining in office. Since ousting former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in April, Prime Minister Magyar has repeatedly called for Sulyok to step down, and the signing of the amendment resolves the dispute with the new government.
Sulyok, an ally of the former prime minister, was elected in early 2024 by lawmakers from Orbán’s nationalist Fidesz party. While Sulyok has criticized the law, the move caps Prime Minister Magyar’s rapid effort to dismantle key pillars of the Viktor Orbán era.