Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Saturday that the government has formally submitted the 17th amendment to Hungary’s Fundamental Law to Parliament, which could become one of the most significant constitutional reform packages in recent years.
The prime minister said further details would be revealed during a briefing scheduled for 4 PM on Saturday.
Constitutional amendment reaches Parliament
“Today, on behalf of the government, I am submitting the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law to the National Assembly,” Magyar wrote in a post earlier on Facebook.
The submission follows remarks made by the prime minister at Thursday’s government briefing, where he indicated that the final proposal would soon be presented to lawmakers after the government reviewed feedback received during a public consultation process. According to Magyar, both citizens and experts had the opportunity to comment on the draft amendment before its finalisation.
Péter Magyar claims several major changes are expected
Although the full text has yet to be presented publicly, previous government statements suggest that the amendment could bring substantial institutional reforms. Among the proposed measures is a reduction in the length of mandates for several senior public office holders. Constitutional Court judges, who are currently elected for twelve years, would serve six-year terms under the proposal, with the possibility of one re-election.
Péter Magyar has argued that public officials should not remain in office for excessively long periods, saying that six years is the longest term that remains foreseeable and does not unduly limit the room for manoeuvre of future governments. The government has also considered shortening other mandates, with some consultation participants advocating a reduction from twelve years to eight years. At the same time, critics have called for stronger constitutional safeguards and additional rule-of-law guarantees.
The most important part of the amendments still is the ability to remove current President Tamás Sulyok from his position, and to elect a new President until the end of summer, for up to 5 years, depending on the timespan of current processes.
Counties could return and centuries old phrases disappear
The amendment is also expected to reverse some of the administrative changes introduced in recent years. Under the proposal, Hungary’s vármegyék (or castle-counties in English) would once again be officially designated as counties, while főispánok (counts) would be renamed government commissioners.
Speaking on Thursday, Magyar said Hungary needs “a modern European state” rather than “feudal lords, chief ispáns or oligarchs”. Implementing the changes would require amendments to more than one hundred laws, according to the prime minister.
The government is also planning a broader reorganisation of the county government office system later this year, which could see some specialised authorities regain independence and responsibilities redistributed to improve efficiency and accountability.
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More than 23,000 responses submitted
PM Péter Magyar said the constitutional consultation generated more than 23,000 responses, which were assessed with the help of artificial intelligence. According to the prime minister, around 90 per cent of participants supported the overall direction of the proposed reforms.
He described the amendment as an interim step ahead of a broader constitutional process expected to take place in the coming years. Magyar argued that voters were already familiar with the Tisza Party’s constitutional proposals before the election and had given the government a clear mandate to proceed with reform. The government is expected to outline the final details of the amendment package during Saturday afternoon’s announcement.
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