Outgoing Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has issued an unusually strong formal protest against the 17th amendment to Hungary’s Fundamental Law, arguing that key provisions undermine the rule of law, democracy and the separation of powers – even as he signed the legislation that brings his own presidency to an end.

The presidential decree, published on Saturday after Sulyok signed the constitutional amendment into law, goes considerably further than the video statement he released earlier the same day. In it, the head of state says he has “serious substantive objections” to several parts of the amendment but insists that Hungary’s Constitution left him with virtually no legal option other than to promulgate it.

President says amendment threatens constitutional principles

While Sulyok welcomed certain elements of the amendment, including the restoration of broader powers for the Constitutional Court, he argued that other provisions are fundamentally incompatible with Hungary’s constitutional order, quotes 444.hu.

He singled out measures introducing term limits and enabling the removal of certain public office holders, describing the latter as effectively being tailored to specific individuals. According to Sulyok, these provisions violate the principles of the rule of law, representative democracy and the separation of powers.

The president wrote that he considers any constitutional provisions that interfere with these principles while disregarding rule-of-law requirements to be incompatible with Hungary’s constitutional foundations.

Warning over “verbal abuse” and political intimidation

One of the most striking sections of the decree concerns the tone of Hungary’s political discourse following the 2026 parliamentary election.

Sulyok argues that public debate has increasingly been dominated by what he described as “verbal abuse” and direct threats against constitutional office holders, MPs and other public figures. He claimed that a political communication strategy has emerged that seeks to silence, intimidate and remove individuals associated with the previous constitutional order, ignoring constitutional safeguards and legal constraints.

According to the president, this atmosphere threatens the diversity of legal, professional and political opinions that he believes is essential in a pluralistic democracy. At the same time, Sulyok acknowledged that a significant portion of Hungarian society supports these developments or considers them unavoidable.

“I naturally respect these feelings and opinions,” he wrote, while adding that many others view the current approach to exercising political power with concern. He said he fully shares those concerns, describing the constitutional amendment as a milestone reflecting a troubling conception of state power.

Why Sulyok signed the amendment

Despite his objections, Sulyok stressed that his constitutional powers are strictly limited when it comes to amendments to the Fundamental Law.

Unlike ordinary legislation, a constitutional amendment cannot be returned to Parliament for reconsideration. Nor can the president challenge its substance before the Constitutional Court. Such a referral is only possible if procedural or formal requirements were not met during the parliamentary vote.

As no procedural irregularities occurred during the adoption of the amendment, Sulyok concluded that he was constitutionally obliged to sign and promulgate it despite his reservations. “The signing of the amendment, while expressing my serious substantive objections, is the fulfilment of my constitutional duty,” he said.

Earlier legal efforts proved unsuccessful

Before Parliament adopted the amendment, Sulyok sought to expand the scope of presidential review by asking the Constitutional Court to clarify whether every constitutional amendment submitted by Parliament necessarily qualified as a genuine amendment to the Fundamental Law.

Had the court accepted that interpretation, it could have significantly broadened the president’s room for manoeuvre. However, the Constitutional Court did not hear the case after seven judges recused themselves, leaving the panel without the quorum required to proceed.

Sulyok also turned to the Venice Commission, which is expected to consider the matter in October after hearing submissions from the parties involved.

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Presidency ends on 20 July

The amendment signed by Sulyok also terminates his own presidential mandate. His term as President of Hungary ends on 20 July, making the decree both the official act promulgating the constitutional amendment and an extraordinary formal statement of dissent from the outgoing head of state.

The presidential decree is expected to be published in the Hungarian Gazette (Magyar Közlöny), completing the legislative process while leaving on record Sulyok’s constitutional objections to the changes.

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