Hungary’s President Tamas Sulyok, (right), and Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar attend the appointment ceremony of ministers of the Tisza government at the presidential Alexander Palace in Budapest, Hungary on May 12, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Hungary’s government will amend the Constitution to remove the country’s President, part of a push by the new Prime Minister Péter Magyar to eliminate officials appointed under former populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Mr. Magyar and his Tizsa party won an overwhelming victory in an election in April. With a two-thirds majority in Parliament, they can make sweeping changes to the autocratic political system Mr. Orbán built over his 16 years in power.
Since his election victory, Mr. Magyar has repeatedly called on President Tamás Sulyok, appointed by Mr. Orbán’s party, to resign or be removed by constitutional means. Mr. Magyar had given Mr. Sulyok, whom he repeatedly referred to as “Orbán’s puppet,” a May 31 deadline to leave office.
While mostly a ceremonial role, Hungary’s President is responsible for signing legislation into law and has the power to send bills passed by Parliament to the Constitutional Court for review, raising concerns among supporters of the new government that he could use that power to obstruct its plans.
Mr. Magyar held talks with Mr. Sulyok at the presidential Sándor Palace on Monday (June 1, 2026) morning. Later, at a news conference, Mr. Magyar said the president had refused to resign. He added that he would instruct lawmakers from his party to immediately begin the “necessary procedures” to remove the President, a process he said would take around a month.
“Hungary does not belong to Tamás Sulyok, nor to Viktor Orbán. It doesn’t belong to a single party or political system,” Mr. Magyar said. “The constitution states quite clearly that the president showcases the unity of the nation and guards the democratic functioning of the state.”
The Prime Minister did not give specifics on what kind of Constitutional change would be used to remove Mr. Sulyok.
Mr. Magyar also accused Mr. Sulyok of failing to perform his duty on a number of issues, including failing to speak out when Mr. Orbán made dehumanising statements about his political opponents and critics, or when the previous government passed legislation banning the LGBTQ+ Pride event.
“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,” Mr. Magyar said.
On Friday (May 29, 2026), Mr. Sulyok’s office released a statement that said Mr. Magyar’s calls for the President to resign “adversely affect both the constitutional functioning and the authority of the institution of the President of the Republic.”
The statement added that Mr. Sulyok had requested a legal assessment of the conflict from the Venice Commission, a group of legal experts with Europe’s top human rights group, part of the Council of Europe.
Published – June 01, 2026 04:34 pm IST
