Hungarian President Sulyok signs constitutional amendment ending his term: 'I had no other choice'

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok announced that he has signed the constitutional amendment passed by the Tisza Party, led by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, which brings his term to an end.

Sulyok, who is also a former judge of the Hungarian Constitutional Court, stated that he had no choice but to approve the amendment as it followed proper legislative procedure, while noting that the reform damages the rule of law in Hungary.

Sulyok said, "The 17th amendment to the Constitution marks a turning point in Hungary's constitutional democracy. The removal of public officials in a manner that clearly violates the rule of law sets a negative precedent that inflicts a deep wound on the constitutional values of democracy, the separation of powers, and the principles of the rule of law."

Speaker of the House Forsthoffer to assume acting presidency

Following Sulyok's signing of the amendment, Magyar stated that Speaker of the House Agnes Forsthoffer would assume the role of acting president as of Monday. Magyar said, "With these decisions, we are restoring something that the Orban regime tried to take away from the Hungarian people for many years. We are restoring the trust that power can be limited, that public assets can be reclaimed, and that the state can once again serve its citizens, the free Hungarian citizens."

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban criticized the regulation, stating on his social media account, "Despotism is no longer a threat, it is the reality itself. If this can be done to the President, no one will be safe tomorrow."

Under the constitutional amendment, the Hungarian Parliament is expected to elect a new president, provided that they remain in office until a new constitution enters into force or for a maximum of five years.

On the other hand, the new regulation also imposes a 12-year term limit on policymakers and mandates a retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges. This is expected to force the current President of the Constitutional Court, Peter Polt, who is considered an ally of Orban, into retirement.

Since coming to power in the elections held in April, Prime Minister Magyar has repeatedly called on President Sulyok to resign, accusing him of failing to represent a sense of national unity on important issues and of serving the interests of Orban and his former government.