AI Generated Image
Hungary's president signs amendment ending his own term
DW.com • • world
Key Points:
- Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has signed a constitutional amendment that immediately ends his term, a move confirmed by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, marking a significant step in dismantling Viktor Orban's political influence.
- The amendment, passed by Magyar's ruling Tisza party, includes a 12-year term limit for lawmakers and mandatory retirement at age 70 for Constitutional Court justices, which will remove Orban ally Peter Polt from his position.
- Sulyok criticized the amendment as damaging to democratic values and the rule of law, while Orban described the political shift as a realization of tyranny rather than a threat.
- Magyar and the Tisza party, who won a two-thirds majority in April promising regime change after 16 years of Fidesz rule, view the amendment as restoring limits on power and reclaiming public assets for citizens.
- Some critics, including Human Rights Watch, expressed concern that the new law could resemble tactics from the previous Fidesz era despite widespread corruption allegations during Orban's tenure.
