Hungary's government moves to remove President Sulyok in constitutional purge

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10 days · 7 summary articles
Hungary’s newly elected Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Monday that his government will initiate a constitutional amendment to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, marking the most dramatic step yet in a sweeping campaign to dismantle the institutional legacy of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Speaking in parliament, Magyar said the government will table a constitutional change that would terminate Sulyok’s mandate by mid-July, describing the move as part of “Operation Cleansing Fire,” a broader anti-corruption drive targeting Orbán-era officials. The prime minister also unveiled plans to draft a new constitution this autumn, to be put to a national referendum, and to establish a National Bureau for Asset Recovery to reclaim allegedly embezzled public funds. “There is no point in recovering stolen property if puppets who failed to prevent theft remain in power,” Magyar told lawmakers .
Magyar’s Tisza party secured at least a two-thirds majority in April’s parliamentary elections, giving it the constitutional power to push through such changes. The proposed amendment would take effect within days of parliamentary approval, according to draft legislation published on the government’s website. It would also strip the presidency of its remaining discretionary powers, centralising authority in the hands of the prime minister and the legislature .
The announcement drew immediate criticism from opposition figures, who accused the government of staging a constitutional coup. The nationalist Mi Hazánk party called the move an “unconstitutional purge,” while the Fidesz-KDNP caucus accused Magyar of abusing his mandate. Fidesz lawmaker Gergely Gulyás said the government’s proposed 12-year term limit for MPs would not apply retroactively, sparing senior Fidesz figures like János Lázár and Péter Szijjártó from immediate disqualification .
Magyar also signalled plans to restore the Constitutional Court’s full jurisdiction, reversing a 2011 Fidesz reform that had limited its powers after it struck down key Orbán-era laws. The prime minister framed the entire package as a restoration of democratic norms, though critics argue the reforms concentrate power in the hands of a single party. The government has invited public consultation on the new constitution, with a referendum expected before the end of the year .
The moves come as Magyar’s government faces pressure to deliver on its anti-corruption promises, with the prime minister vowing to expose what he calls the “Orbán mafia” that allegedly looted state resources over the past decade. The National Bureau for Asset Recovery, slated to launch this autumn, will target high-profile cases of alleged embezzlement, including overpriced state contracts identified since the Tisza party took office .
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