Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has announced plans to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office through a constitutional amendment.
PM Magyar will remove Sulyok whatever it takes
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Magyar said the proposal forms part of his government’s “Operation Purgatory”, an effort aimed at dismantling what he describes as the institutional legacy of the previous administration. According to the draft amendment released for public consultation, the current president’s mandate would automatically end the day after the amendment enters into force.
Under the proposal, Parliament would elect a temporary head of state who would serve until a new constitution takes effect, but for no longer than five years.
“The nation agrees he must go”
Magyar delivered a scathing assessment of Sulyok’s presidency, arguing that the president had succeeded in creating national unity in only one respect: “that he has to leave”.
The prime minister also revisited a birthday message Sulyok sent to former prime minister Viktor Orbán in 2025, in which the president praised Orbán’s leadership and compared him to a captain steering a ship through turbulent waters. Magyar cited the post as evidence that Sulyok remained closely tied to the former ruling elite.
According to the prime minister, Orbán sought not only political power but control over every major state institution. He accused Sulyok of acting as a loyal ally of the former government rather than an independent constitutional figure.
Constitutional Court dispute fuels conflict
At the centre of the dispute is Sulyok’s recent request that the Constitutional Court examine a planned constitutional amendment before parliamentary debate and public consultation had even begun, writes Telex.
Magyar described the move as an attempt to interfere with democratic decision-making and prevent the implementation of reforms backed by voters. He claimed the president had effectively asked the court to rule on legislation that did not yet exist.
The government argues that institutional renewal cannot be completed while officials appointed under the previous system remain in key positions.
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New constitution and referendum planned
The administration intends to launch a comprehensive constitution-making process in September, involving broad public participation. Once completed, the new constitution would be submitted to voters in a national referendum.
Magyar said the constitutional amendment could take effect around 20 July, meaning Sulyok could lose his office before the end of the month. If the president refuses to sign the amendment, the government says a separate removal procedure could be initiated.
The prime minister added that Hungary would have a new president before the 20 August national holiday. He expressed hope that the next head of state could command support across the political spectrum and genuinely embody national unity while the country debates its future constitutional framework.
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Sulyok is a leftover part of the mafia government that ran Hungary and will forever be an extreme hazard to reform and elimination of corruption. He was never elected and has no present legitimacy as a representative of the will of the people which was clearly expressed in the April 12th election. He needs to be removed. Hungary might consider having an elected president .