Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has agreed to step down, signing a constitutional amendment that will end his presidency at midnight on Sunday, July 19th, 2026. The amendment was pushed through parliament by Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party, which used its majority to remove Sulyok, widely seen as a loyalist of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost power in April after 16 years in office.

Sulyok had five days to sign the amendment or face a prolonged constitutional crisis and potential impeachment proceedings. He confirmed his agreement to the law change as the deadline passed on Saturday evening, July 18th, but accused Magyar's government of violating the rule of law in a statement.

The constitutional amendment not only removes Sulyok from office but also ousts the head of the Constitutional Court, Péter Polt. It further removes judges over the age of 70 from the court and forbids deputies who have served three terms in parliament from standing again, a rule affecting more than half of the current Fidesz deputies.

This move marks the most dramatic action by the Tisza government since its landslide victory in April. Orbán described the amendment as an act of tyranny and called for protests. Since the April election defeat, Orbán's party, Fidesz, has been in decline, with Orbán himself rarely seen in public and refusing to take his seat in parliament.

Sources