Hungary's parliament ousts president in latest move against Orban's legacy

Hungary's parliament on Monday voted overwhelmingly to remove President Tamas Sulyok from his largely ceremonial post. The amendment passed with 139 votes in favor and only six against, ending Sulyok's term immediately and allowing parliament to elect a new president. Sulyok, a former head of the Constitutional Court, was elected in February 2024 to replace Katalin Novak, who resigned after a pardon scandal.

The move is part of a broader effort by Prime Minister Peter Magyar, whose center-right Tisza Party won a landslide two-thirds supermajority in April elections, ending 16 years of Viktor Orban's Fidesz rule. Magyar had previously called Sulyok “unworthy to embody the unity of the Hungarian nation” and demanded his resignation. After Sulyok refused, Magyar branded him Orban's “puppet” and vowed to remove him through constitutional means.

Alongside the presidential removal, the constitutional amendment introduces judicial reforms, creates a body to investigate alleged financial abuses under the previous government, and imposes a 12-year term limit on lawmakers. President Sulyok now has five days to sign the amendment; if he refuses, parliament will initiate impeachment proceedings. Fidesz members boycotted Monday's session.

Magyar has unveiled a broader reform agenda called “Operation Cleansing Fire,” aiming to adopt a new constitution, purge state institutions, and establish an anti-corruption office. Although the presidency is largely symbolic, it has the power to approve laws and refer them to the Constitutional Court for review, raising fears that Sulyok might obstruct the government's ambitious reforms.