Hungarian Parliament Abruptly Dismisses President in Sweeping Purge of Old Regime

The Hungarian parliament has officially approved a constitutional amendment to remove President Tamas Sulyok from his largely ceremonial post, marking the latest political manoeuvre by the new government to dismantle the power of figures aligned with former Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The crucial decision was passed on Monday with an overwhelming 139 votes in favour and only six against, unilaterally ending Sulyok’s term and paving the way for parliament to elect a new head of state.

This political shift follows the public’s toppling of Orban’s right-wing nationalist regime in the April elections, where Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s Tisza Party won a landslide victory, ending 16 years of dominance by Orban’s Fidesz party. Since securing his decisive win, PM Magyar has moved aggressively to demolish the remnants of the old regime through a comprehensive reform programme. Beyond the presidential dismissal, the newly passed constitutional amendment introduces judicial reforms, limits parliamentary terms to a maximum of 12 years, and establishes a dedicated body to investigate alleged financial abuses during the previous administration.

Sulyok has been given a five-day window to sign the parliamentary amendment. Should he ignore the deadline and refuse to endorse it, PM Magyar has stated that parliament will not hesitate to launch immediate impeachment proceedings. In a show of defiance, the president and all Fidesz faction MPs boycotted the parliamentary session on Monday, though their absence did not deter the new governing coalition, which now holds full control over the legislative process.

Sulyok, a former head of the Constitutional Court, was elected by parliament in February 2024 to replace Katalin Novak, who resigned over a scandal involving the pardon of a perpetrator of child sexual abuse. Just days after the Tisza Party secured a two-thirds parliamentary majority in April, PM Magyar declared Sulyok unfit to serve as a symbol of Hungarian national unity and demanded his resignation. When the president failed to step down voluntarily by June, Magyar publicly labelled him a political puppet of Viktor Orban and launched a radical reform initiative dubbed ‘Operation Fire Cleanse’, designed to overhaul the constitution, purge public institutions, and establish an independent anti-corruption office. This constitutional purge is seen as vital for the new government to prevent political deadlock, as the president, despite the role’s symbolic nature, retains significant legal authority to approve legislation or refer it to the Constitutional Court, raising fears Sulyok could use his prerogative to block the Tisza Party’s ambitious reform agenda.