A public dispute between Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar and former President János Áder has escalated after the prime minister published drone footage of Áder’s official residence while accusing him of benefiting from taxpayers’ money.
The exchange began after the former President criticised the government’s plan to remove current President Tamás Sulyok through a constitutional amendment.
Áder calls planned removal of President ‘a constitutional coup’
Speaking on the Hungarian public media podcast Kell még valamit mondanom, Ildikó?, Áder described the government’s proposal to remove Sulyok as unconstitutional. He argued that a sitting Hungarian president can only be removed through the impeachment procedure set out in the Fundamental Law, which requires Parliament to initiate proceedings and the Constitutional Court to determine whether the president committed a constitutional or legal violation.
According to Áder, replacing this process with a constitutional amendment would amount to a “constitutional coup”, “constitutional carpet bombing”, “the beginning of a cold civil war”, or even “the arrival of an Orwellian world”.
The government’s proposed 17th amendment to Hungary’s Fundamental Law would require Sulyok to leave office the day after the amendment enters into force. The former President also drew historical parallels with the forced removals of former Hungarian leaders after the Second World War, arguing that political disagreements should not be used as legal grounds for dismissing constitutional officeholders.
Magyar links criticism to foundation reforms
Asked to respond to Áder’s remarks during Thursday’s government press briefing, Magyar suggested the former president’s criticism was motivated by the government’s plan to dissolve Hungary’s public-interest asset management foundations (commonly known as KEKVAs).
The government has proposed abolishing the foundations by 31 August as part of legislation linked to unlocking European Union funds. Among the organisations affected is the Blue Planet Foundation (Kék Bolygó Alapítvány), which is associated with Áder.
Magyar claimed the former President would lose significant financial resources because of the reform and alleged that public money had been channelled through the foundation for years. He also referred to the former president’s official benefits, including his monthly allowance, staff and state-provided residence.
Áder demands evidence or an apology
Following those remarks, Áder issued a public statement demanding that the prime minister either present evidence supporting his allegations by Monday or apologise. He said Magyar had accused him of unlawful conduct without proof and challenged him to substantiate the claims.
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Prime minister responds with drone video
Instead of apologising, Magyar intensified the dispute on Friday by publishing drone footage of Áder’s official residence. In the accompanying Facebook post, the prime minister again referred to the former president as a “public money fisherman” and claimed the 720-square-metre villa had been renovated using taxpayers’ money.
Magyar also listed what he described as the benefits enjoyed by former presidents, including an official residence, household staff, a chauffeur-driven car, secretarial support and a monthly allowance of around HUF 6 million. He further invited Áder to allow the public inside both the villa and the headquarters of the Blue Planet Foundation, adding that “this is only the beginning of the story.”
