Hungarian President Steps Down After Paradoxical Parliament Vote

Sun Sep 06 2026 02:51:14 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Hungary’s president signed an amendment ending his term, a move following a parliamentary bill aimed at removing him amid deepening political turmoil.

In a swift political maneuver, President Tamás Sulyok has agreed to resign after the Fidesz‑aligned parliament approved a constitutional amendment. The law eliminates his office, the Constitutional Court head, and judges over 70, while banning three‑term MPs from future service. The decision follows months of political instability after former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s defeat. The move is seen as a decisive consolidation of power by the current government.

In a decisive move, Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has signed a constitutional amendment that will end his presidency at midnight on Sunday, following a parliamentary vote that sought to remove him from office.

The amendment, approved by a majority of lawmakers loyal to Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party, simultaneously strips legal authority from the head of the Constitutional Court and removes judges over 70 years old. It also bars former members who have served three terms in Parliament from standing again, affecting more than half of the current Fidesz deputies.

Sulyok announced his compliance with the bill on the eve of the deadline, condemning the process as a violation of rule‑of‑law principles. The decision follows months of escalating tension after the opposition’s victory in the April elections, which saw former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán step back from power after sixteen years in office.

Orbán has called the amendment “an act of tyranny” and called for protests, underscoring the polarization within the country. The swift changes, which now set the stage for a constitutional crisis, highlight the extent of the new government’s ambition to overhaul the political landscape and secure its position.