Parliament is scheduled to debate and vote on the 16th amendment to the Fundamental Law on Monday.

Parliament set to vote about crucial constitution amendment

According to the schedule posted on the National Assembly’s website, Monday’s plenary session is set to start with Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s speech ahead of the agenda, followed by speeches of the heads of parliamentary groups, the Hungarian news agency wrote.

The session will debate and vote on the 16th amendment to the Fundamental Law, a Tisza proposal that would limit the terms of prime ministers to 8 years, including interruptions.

Parliament will also elect the head and members of a parliamentary committee investigating abuses of the power of bailiffs under the Orbán government. Monday’s meeting will conclude parliament’s spring session, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.

The motion will be accepted – but Orbán still has a chance

Since Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party holds supermajority in the Hungarian Parliament, we can be sure that the initiative will be accepted.

There is only one realistic path for former prime minister Viktor Orbán to return to office: securing a supermajority in the 2030 general election.

At present, however, support for Fidesz is at historic lows, according to the latest polling. Surveys by Publicus, 21 Kutatóközpont, Medián and Závecz place the party’s support between 20 and 25 per cent, while Tisza leads with more than 68 per cent.

Furthermore, Péter Magyar has pledged to introduce a fairer electoral system, which may eliminate the additional mandates currently awarded to winning parties to reinforce their governing majority. Under the existing Hungarian system, a party can secure a supermajority with less than 50 per cent of the popular vote. In the 12 April election, Tisza won 53 per cent of the vote yet obtained 141 seats in parliament, amounting to nearly a 71 per cent majority.

Update: Parliament adopts 16th amendment to Fundamental Law

Parliament on Monday adopted the 16th amendment to the Fundamental Law, which limits the maximum term of the prime minister to eight years, among other provisions. The amendment, initiated by Tisza Party MPs Marton Melléthei-Barna and Istvan Hantosi, was passed with 135 votes in favour, 50 against and 6 abstentions.

Under the amendment, the Fundamental Law now states that no one can be elected prime minister if they have already served a total of at least eight years in that post, including non-consecutive terms. The eight-year period is calculated from May 2, 1990, or any time thereafter.

The Fundamental Law was also amended to include a provision that the prime minister’s mandate must terminate if they have served a total of at least eight years.

Also, the provision establishing the Sovereignty Protection Office was deleted from the Fundamental Law. The deleted provision had stated: “An independent body established by cardinal law operates to protect constitutional identity.”

The Fundamental Law was also updated to say that any state assets handed over to public interest foundations (KEKVAs) — whether as a founder, a joining member, or through any other legal arrangement — must go back to the state if the foundation is dissolved. This includes the assets themselves, any income they generate, and anything that replaces them. The state will also take over all the founder’s rights, meaning it can shut down these foundations if it chooses. On top of that, the special asset management rights tied to state-owned property will no longer apply. The nitty-gritty of how these foundations operate, how they can be dissolved, and what public tasks they handle will all be spelled out in a separate law.

The amendment to the Fundamental Law will enter into force on the day following its promulgation.

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Featured image: Facebook/Gulyás Gergely