Hungary’s parliament has voted to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office in a major political move following the defeat of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in April.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party used its two-thirds majority in parliament to pass the 17th amendment to the constitution. The amendment ends the terms of both President Sulyok and Constitutional Court chief Péter Polt.
The vote marks one of the most significant political developments since Magyar’s government took office in May after winning a landslide election victory over Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Sulyok now has five days to either sign the amendment or send it to the Constitutional Court for review. If he chooses the second option, Magyar has warned that impeachment proceedings will be launched against him, which would automatically suspend him from office.
The government has also suggested that Sulyok resign voluntarily to prevent a constitutional crisis.
Members of the opposition Fidesz party walked out of parliament before the vote, accusing the government of concentrating too much power. Fidesz claims the amendment gives the government the ability to remove public officials at will.
However, supporters of the amendment argue that many state institutions were filled with Orbán loyalists during his 16 years in power and that reforms are necessary.
The amendment also requires Constitutional Court judges over the age of 70 to leave office and prevents lawmakers who have served three parliamentary terms from running again. This rule affects more than half of Fidesz’s current lawmakers.
Former Supreme Court president András Baka supported the removal of Sulyok, saying Hungary’s democratic institutions were weakened under Orbán’s rule.
However, he criticized the new rule limiting parliamentary terms, arguing that voters should be free to choose whoever they want to represent them.
Since losing the election, Fidesz has struggled to recover. Orbán has rarely appeared in public and has not taken his seat in parliament.
Reports indicate he left Hungary to attend the FIFA World Cup final in the United States.
The party has also faced internal problems.
On Monday, senior Fidesz figure Gergely Gulyás resigned as head of the party’s parliamentary group, adding to the challenges facing the opposition.
The constitutional amendment is part of a wider package of reforms intended to guide Hungary until a new constitution is drafted within the next two to three years.
