Key facts
- Hungary's parliament approved a constitutional amendment limiting prime ministers to eight years.
- The amendment applies retroactively to terms served after May 2, 1990.
- This bars Viktor Orban, who previously served 20 years, from returning as prime minister.
- The amendment also targets the dissolution of the Sovereignty Protection Office.
- Control of state assets in public-interest foundations will return to the state.
Hungary's parliament has backed a change to the constitution that limits a prime minister's term in office to eight years, a move designed to prevent Viktor Orbán from returning to power. The amendment, approved by 135 votes to 50, applies retroactively to terms served after May 2, 1990, effectively barring Orbán, who previously served for 20 years, from seeking the premiership again.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party ousted Orbán after 16 years in office, utilized his party's two-thirds parliamentary majority to enact significant changes. The amendment is presented as a pillar for restoring the rule of law in Hungary. Alongside the term limits, the legislation aims to abolish the Sovereignty Protection Office, created in 2023, which critics argue was used by Orbán's government to consolidate power and violate EU law. Furthermore, state assets that were transferred to public-interest foundations under Orbán's tenure are slated to be returned to state control.
The amendment now proceeds to President Tamás Sulyok, appointed by Fidesz, for review. Orbán's depleted Fidesz party voted against the measure, with Orbán himself criticizing it as the "Orban law." The new provision also means that Magyar would only be able to serve as prime minister until 2034. The government intends to return assets to the state or cut funding to institutions like the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), which has close ties to Fidesz and is chaired by Balázs Orbán, the former prime minister's political director.