Key facts
- The Venice Commission will visit Hungary to assess a constitutional amendment.
- The amendment seeks to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office.
- President Sulyok and Prime Minister Péter Magyar's government are open to discussions.
- The draft legislation would terminate Sulyok's mandate before its scheduled expiry.
- The Venice Commission is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional law.
Experts from the Venice Commission are scheduled to visit Hungary to examine a proposed constitutional amendment that could lead to the removal of President Tamás Sulyok. The visit, confirmed by the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional law, comes after Prime Minister Péter Magyar's government initiated the amendment.
Both President Sulyok and the government have indicated their willingness to engage in discussions with the Venice Commission delegation. Sulyok has described the move to remove him as unlawful and has formally requested the Commission's assessment, while Magyar has publicly called for his resignation, referring to him as "Orbán's puppet."
The draft legislation proposes terminating Sulyok's presidential mandate shortly after the amendment's enactment, significantly ahead of its scheduled end in 2029. Additionally, the amendment would mandate the retirement of several Constitutional Court judges upon reaching the age of 70 and impose a 12-year limit on parliamentary mandates.
The opposition Fidesz party has voiced strong opposition, labeling the initiative unconstitutional and a political purge. The Venice Commission's role is to provide opinions on whether such constitutional changes align with European standards for rule of law and democratic governance, although its rulings are non-binding. The European Commission stated it is closely observing the developments in Hungary.