In a dramatic shift for Hungarian politics, President Tamás Sulyok has agreed to vacate his office at midnight on Sunday after the newly empowered Tisza party forced through a constitutional amendment to remove him.
The move, which Sulyok condemned as a violation of the rule of law and a 'breaking point' for constitutional democracy, follows the Tisza party’s landslide victory in April that ended Viktor Orbán’s 16-year tenure.
The 17th amendment, passed with an overwhelming majority, cites a 'serious loss of confidence' in Sulyok, who was widely viewed as a loyalist to the former Fidesz administration.
Beyond ousting the president, the legislation also removes the head of the Constitutional Court and implements term limits that disqualify more than half of the current Fidesz deputies from future service.
While the Tisza government frames these actions as necessary to dismantle an authoritarian regime that captured state institutions, former Prime Minister Orbán has decried the legislative overhaul as an act of tyranny. As the Tisza party continues to reshape the state, the political fallout continues to leave the former ruling party in a state of collapse.
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