Hungary PM Peter Magyar signals constitutional changes to remove Orban ally President Tamas Sulyok
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has indicated that his government will pursue constitutional and legislative changes that could lead to the removal of President Tamas Sulyok, after previously calling on him to resign.
Speaking in Budapest on Monday, June 1, Magyar said his administration would introduce measures aimed at restoring confidence in state institutions and the rule of law.
“We will present regulatory and constitutional solutions to the parliament that will restore trust in the independence of state institutions and the rule of law, and ensure that the Hungarian republic elects a fallen regime’s single important public law officeholder into the extended shadow of a failed leader,” he said.
“The transition will be complete, my esteemed fellow representatives, when the state institutions also return to their role, which constitutional democracy assigns to them: overseeing the current government, enforcing the laws, and serving the Hungarian nation. This is what we are undertaking,” he added.
Magyar had called for Sulyok’s resignation immediately after winning the April election. At the time, he said: “This process will take about a month, we are trying to adopt the necessary legislation as quickly as possible, and yes, there will be talk of removing all puppets.”
Sulyok, who is considered an ally of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has rejected calls to step down and has said he intends to remain in office until the end of his term in 2029.
Magyar’s government holds a two-thirds majority in parliament, giving it the ability to amend Hungary’s constitution without support from opposition parties.
The prime minister took office in May after defeating Orban and ending the nationalist leader’s 16-year period in power. Since assuming office, Magyar has repeatedly accused his predecessor of leaving Hungary politically isolated and economically weakened.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
