Key facts
- Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment ending his term.
- The amendment takes effect at midnight Sunday.
- Ágnes Forsthoffer, Speaker of the National Assembly, will serve as interim president.
- The amendment introduces a 12-year term limit for parliamentary mandates.
- A maximum age of 70 is set for constitutional judges.
Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has signed a constitutional amendment that ends his own mandate, describing the move as unprecedented and shameful. The amendment, which Sulyok stated was an abuse of political power and an attack on the rule of law, takes effect after midnight on Sunday.
Sulyok stated that his signature was a sign of respect for the presidency and Hungary's Fundamental Law, but also proof that core values of a free society had been trampled. He placed the responsibility for this decision squarely on the ruling power that amended the constitution.
Following the amendment's entry into force, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ágnes Forsthoffer, will serve as interim president until a new head of state is elected by parliament. The amendment also introduces significant changes to the country's legal and political framework.
Key provisions include a 12-year (or three-term) limit on parliamentary mandates, a maximum age of 70 for constitutional judges, and the restoration of the Constitutional Court's review powers, which had been curtailed in 2013. The amendment also establishes a National Asset Recovery an office aimed at investigating financial abuses under the Orbán government.