Hungary’s President Tamás Sulyok has responded to Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s calls for him to resign, saying he will not step down after considering the option. In a video message, Sulyok argued that resignation “would not provide a solution to the constitutional settlement of the institutional conflict”, and instead stressed cooperation with the current Tisza-led government, according to 24.hu.
Sulyok: resignation would not solve the “institutional conflict”
In his statement, Sulyok said that the president must cooperate with the government of the day, while the government should likewise cooperate with a head of state elected by the previous parliament. He criticised recent prime ministerial remarks as unusually confrontational in tone between state institutions, claiming they amounted to one-sided demands and instructions directed at the presidency, including calls for his resignation.
Sulyok maintained that this dynamic creates a “seriously contradictory situation”, but insisted he would continue to carry out his constitutional duties.
EU funds and the ICC law among the points raised
Sulyok also sought to reassure the government that he would not obstruct its work, explicitly referencing legislation linked to the accessibility of EU funds.
He said he had acted in a cooperative spirit in other recent decisions as well, including signing a law restoring Hungary’s participation in the International Criminal Court (ICC) framework, as reported by 24.hu.
If you missed it – ICC: Hungary’s parliament votes to halt withdrawal and stay in the court – what’s next?
He closed by saying that, faithful to his oath, he would continue to serve as president and exercise the powers laid out in Hungary’s Fundamental Law.
Magyar Péter’s response and the deadline
Magyar had set 31 May as a deadline for Sulyok to leave office voluntarily, and previously said he planned to visit the president on Monday, accompanied by the justice minister.
Reacting to the video, Magyar accused Sulyok of failing to stand up for vulnerable people and for the rule of law, and claimed the president was primarily defending his salary. Magyar wrote that the president’s monthly pay is HUF 6.3 million (around €17,800).
Magyar also pointed to the benefits that former heads of state can retain after leaving office (such as staff support and services).
Polling: nearly two-thirds say the president should resign
The controversy comes amid fresh polling suggesting significant public dissatisfaction with Sulyok’s performance. A 21 Kutatóközpont survey found that around two-thirds of respondents believe the president has not successfully embodied “the unity of the nation”, and a majority said it would be best if he resigned voluntarily.
The poll’s methodology published by 21 Kutatóközpont describes a telephone survey conducted between 9–13 May 2026 with a sample of 1,000, weighted to census parameters, and a reported margin of error of roughly ±3 percentage points.
Background for international readers: what the president can (and can’t) do in Hungary
Hungary is a parliamentary system where executive power is primarily exercised by the government led by the prime minister. The president is head of state with defined constitutional powers, including signing laws and certain appointment and oversight roles. The current president was elected by Fidesz—which suffered a heavy defeat in the election—and former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Sulyok’s central argument in the video is that institutional disputes should be handled within the constitutional framework, and that stepping down would not, in his view, resolve the underlying conflict between state organs.
For now, the confrontation looks set to continue into the coming week, with Magyar’s planned visit to the presidential office adding another flashpoint to a rapidly escalating institutional standoff.
Magyar: Leaders who spread fake news must also leave public media
On election day, Péter Magyar said that public media’s news coverage would be suspended immediately due to its bias and lack of balance, but this has not yet happened.
However, today the prime minister wrote:
since it has been proven that the materials disparaging Tisza in the public media were produced on the instructions of the executives, CEOs Dániel Papp and Anita Altorjai must leave immediately!
What’s next? Putin’s surprising message to PM Péter Magyar about Ukraine
UPDATE: Fidesz says removing the president would amount to a “violent dictatorship”
Hungary’s Fidesz has accused Péter Magyar of undermining the constitutional order after he called for President Tamás Sulyok to be removed from office, arguing that such an act belongs to dictatorships rather than democracies.
“Removing a republic president from office by force is something that happens in dictatorships,” Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader wrote on Facebook, according to Hungary’s state news agency MTI.
In a statement carried by MTI, Fidesz said it “stands by the head of state” and claimed Magyar was “unconstitutionally attacking” the president while pursuing “unlawful ultimatums”. The party insisted that, under Hungary’s constitutional system, the length of mandate for senior public office-holders is not set by political pressure and that “no deadline” exists in the sense suggested by Magyar.
The money from the EU will arrive by next Thursday the latest. If not by then, the Thursday after; and if not by then by the third month of July. If not by then…2028? 2032?
In America we say you can fool all the people all of the time, most of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all the time.
Meanwhile my chickens are pacing around the eggs scattered in the field waiting for them to hatch.
I promise to hold my breath until the Euro 18 billion arrives with the headlines at Daily News Hungary proclaiming it as fact. You can’t imagine how long I can hold my breath!
Hungary should not allow gay laws to rule their country! It is by far more important than get funds from EU. Seams it was mistake to let new pm. to office.
How can anyone stay in their positions when nearly 2/3 of Hungarians want you to resign? He clearly does not have the confidence of the public. If you don’t have that you are a nobody and you have no right to be in office and that means Sulyok should bloody well resign. He was a yes man facilitating Fidesz criminal activities and completely failed in his duty to protect the public from Fidesz corruption and Russian control of Hungarian institutions. Tisza needs to pass a super majority constitutional amendment giving the government the power to evict that bag of slime.
One option would be a nation-wide referendum on the question of whether Sulyok should resign. The results against him would destroy his credibility and put huge pressure on him to leave.
The proposal of a referendum on the question of the President of the Hungarian State is fair,democratic and logical.
If we did it the way Fidesz did their referendums it would be preceded by a campaign of endless hate billboards.
“Referenda”
Saturated, drenched – known FACT, throughout his Life, his prior life, before his appointment as a “return of favour” – like that of the former gargantuan failure of a Minister of Finance – Mihaly Varga his “return of favour” appointment as the current Governor of the Central Bank of Hungary, who needs outing/replacing – the FAVOUR’s granted the current President – by the “ill-fated” heinous led Fidesz Government under the Prime Ministership of Victor Mihaly. Orban – that all was not of respect and support of his name, and positions he adapted, causes he supported through his adulation of name Fidesz.
Tamas Sulyok – was “inner-sanctum” and remains as such – an ear, an adviser – a POWER player of and in – the ill-fated, humiliated former Government of Hungary under the Prime Ministership of – Victor Mihaly. Orban – and the political party name = Fidesz.
Go, I say, you have already sat to long, for ALL the WRONG reasons – Tamas Sulyok for any good you can contribute or Do to the FUTURE of Hungary.
Go, out you as the role you played and still play – in the regime that we have RID ourselves of -Hungary – under the leadership of Victor Mihaly. Orban – GO.