Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has agreed to step down, signing a constitutional amendment that will end his presidency at midnight on Sunday. The move comes after Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party used its parliamentary majority to pass the law change.
Sulyok had five days to sign the amendment or face potential impeachment proceedings and a constitutional crisis. He confirmed his agreement on Saturday evening, stating that he believed the government had violated the rule of law.
The constitutional amendment not only removes Sulyok from office but also dismisses Péter Polt, the head of the Constitutional Court. Additionally, it mandates the removal of judges over the age of 70 from the court and prohibits deputies who have served three terms from seeking re-election, a provision that affects more than half of the current Fidesz deputies.
This action represents the latest significant step by the Tisza government, which won a landslide victory in April. The party views Sulyok as having been a loyalist to former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Since the April election, Orbán's Fidesz party has experienced a significant decline, with Orbán himself making few public appearances and declining to take his seat in parliament. Orbán has characterized the amendment as an act of tyranny and called for protests against it.