Hungarian President Sulyok Steps Down After Parliament Enforces Removal
President Tamás Sulyok agreed to step down by signing a constitutional amendment, ending his presidency at midnight Sunday, after pressure from the new government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has agreed to resign, signing a constitutional amendment that terminates his presidency at midnight on Sunday. The move follows the Hungarian parliament's approval of the amendment, pushed through by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party with the aim of ousting Sulyok.
Sulyok was widely seen as a loyalist of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost power in April after 16 years. The new government viewed Sulyok as a puppet of the previous administration and had demanded his resignation. He had five days to sign the amendment or risk a protracted constitutional crisis and impeachment proceedings.
On Saturday evening, as the deadline expired, Sulyok confirmed he would agree to the law change but accused Magyar's government of violating the rule of law. In a statement, he called the amendment a "breaking point in Hungarian constitutional democracy" and said "the core values of a free society have been trampled underfoot for the sake of political power."
This marks the latest and most dramatic move by the Tisza government, which has enacted major constitutional changes since its landslide victory in April. Orbán described the amendment as an act of tyranny and called for protests. Since the April election, Orbán's party has been in free fall, with Orbán rarely seen in public and refusing to take his seat in parliament.
