Hungary’s President Tamás Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment into law on Saturday, ending his term in office and concluding a dispute with the country's new government. The move comes as Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s administration seeks to remove officials appointed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Magyar had repeatedly called for Sulyok, an Orbán appointee, to resign, stating that the president had not adequately opposed antidemocratic actions by Orbán’s previous government. When Sulyok declined to resign, lawmakers from Magyar's Tisza party passed a constitutional amendment this week to immediately end his term. Sulyok signed the amendment on the final day of the five-day window allowed.
In a video posted to Facebook, Sulyok, whom Magyar had labeled Orbán's "puppet," stated that being compelled to sign the amendment demonstrated that "the fundamental values of a free society, the rule of law, democracy, the principle of power-sharing, have been trampled on in the interest of power."
Sulyok’s term will officially conclude at midnight on Monday. The speaker of Parliament, Ágnes Forsthoffer, will assume presidential duties until a new president is elected within 30 days.
Since taking office in May, Magyar's government has begun removing political appointees and heads of institutions perceived as supporting Orbán’s government. The administration has suspended the news service of Hungary’s public television and radio, which Magyar described as a "propaganda factory" for Orbán's party. Additionally, Hungary’s Sovereignty Protection Office, an entity critics viewed as a tool for intimidation, has been shuttered.
The constitutional amendment also includes judicial reforms, establishes an office to investigate financial abuses during the Orbán government, and implements a 12-year term limit for lawmakers.
Orbán reacted to Sulyok's signing of the amendment by writing on Facebook, "tyranny is no longer a threat, but a reality." He added, "If this could be done to the president of the republic, then tomorrow no one will be safe."
In contrast, Magyar stated in a Facebook video that the amendment’s passage fulfilled "several of our important commitments and returned what the Orbán regime tried to take away from the Hungarian people for many years." He announced plans to convene his party on Monday to discuss its nomination for the next president.