BUDAPEST — Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok agreed to leave office after signing a constitutional amendment that immediately ends his mandate, bringing to a close a standoff with the government over efforts to reshape institutions established during former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's years in power.
Sulyok, who was elected president in 2024 by lawmakers from Orbán's Fidesz party, signed the amendment on Saturday despite criticizing the measure. In a public statement, he said he believed the legislation harmed the rule of law and constitutional democracy but added that, as head of state, he was legally obliged to promulgate laws passed under Hungary's constitutional procedures.
The amendment was approved by parliament after Prime Minister Péter Magyar's governing Tisza party, which secured a two-thirds majority in April elections, argued that Sulyok had lost public confidence and should no longer remain in office. Magyar had repeatedly called on the president to resign voluntarily, accusing him of failing to act independently during the previous administration.
Sulyok's term is scheduled to end at midnight following the amendment's entry into force. Parliament Speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer will assume the duties of interim president until lawmakers elect a successor under the revised constitutional framework, according to the legislation. The government has up to 30 days to choose a new head of state.
The constitutional package extends beyond the presidency. It introduces a 12-year limit on parliamentary service, sets a mandatory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges, and includes broader judicial and institutional reforms that the government says are intended to strengthen democratic accountability and dismantle structures associated with Orbán's 16 years in power.
Orbán and Fidesz have condemned the amendment, arguing that removing a sitting president through constitutional revision undermines democratic norms. Sulyok also described the measure as setting a troubling precedent, while stopping short of refusing to sign it.
Magyar has defended the changes as part of a broader program to restore institutional independence following his election victory. The government has said it will continue implementing constitutional and judicial reforms while parliament prepares to elect a new president in the coming weeks.
