Key facts
- Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, an Orbán appointee, is resisting removal efforts by new Prime Minister Péter Magyar.
- Sulyok claims Magyar is abusing his parliamentary supermajority and seeks to safeguard democratic norms.
- Magyar's party accuses Sulyok of being an 'Orbán puppet' and questions his credibility.
- Sulyok has appealed to Hungary's constitutional court and the Venice Commission regarding his potential ouster.
- Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment limiting prime ministers to eight years, a move he criticized as restricting democratic choice.
Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, appointed during Viktor Orbán's tenure, has vowed to resist the new government's attempts to remove him from office. Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who secured a landslide victory against Orbán, accused Sulyok and other Orbán-era appointees of enabling a system of cronyism and state capture.
Sulyok, however, told POLITICO that he would fight to stay, employing legal strategies and accusing Magyar of seeking to concentrate power more aggressively than Orbán did. He argued that his continued presence in office is necessary to safeguard democratic norms and the separation of powers, stating that no parliamentary majority can authorize the disregard of the rule of law and European values.
Magyar's allies, such as Tisza party lawmaker Márton Hajdu, dismissed Sulyok's claims as political gaslighting, asserting that holdovers from Orbán's regime cannot be trusted to act independently. Hajdu criticized Sulyok for not defending checks and balances when Orbán was dismantling them and questioned the credibility of his current stance.
To facilitate Sulyok's removal, Magyar's government is considering various measures, potentially leveraging the electoral framework Orbán established to concentrate power. Sulyok has sought to preemptively challenge any person-specific legislation by lodging a request with Hungary's constitutional court, which he previously presided over. However, seven judges recused themselves, preventing the court from hearing the petition. Sulyok has also appealed to the Venice Commission for its opinion on the unfolding "constitutional crisis."
Magyar's government is reportedly moving swiftly to dismantle remnants of Orbán's rule, drawing lessons from Poland where a president aligned with the previous administration has blocked the current government's agenda. While Sulyok's constitutional powers are limited compared to the Polish president, he appears determined to use them. He recently signed a constitutional amendment effectively barring Orbán from future premierships by limiting the prime minister's term to eight years, though he also criticized the amendment for restricting democratic choice.