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Hungary’s president agrees to stand down after law change ends his term
The Guardian • • general
Key Points:
- Hungary’s president Tamás Sulyok agreed to step down after signing a constitutional amendment passed by the ruling Tisza party, ending his term immediately due to a cited "serious loss of confidence."
- Sulyok, a former constitutional court judge, criticized the amendment for harming the rule of law and setting a negative precedent by removing public office holders in a way that violates democratic principles.
- The amendment is part of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s efforts to dismantle former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s power base following Magyar’s election landslide in April.
- The legislation also imposes a 12-year term limit on lawmakers and a retirement age of 70 for constitutional court judges, forcing Orbán’s ally Péter Polt to retire.
- Interim president Ágnes Forsthoffer will assume office, with Magyar emphasizing the restoration of constraints on power and the state's service to citizens after Orbán's long tenure.
