Hungary's parliament votes to remove president as Magyar pushes through 17th constitutional amendment

The vote and its immediate consequences

Hungary's unicameral parliament adopted the 17th amendment to the country's Fundamental Law on Monday 13 July 2026, with 139 votes in favour and six against. The amendment terminates the mandate of President Tamás Sulyok, who was elected in March 2024 by the previous Fidesz-dominated parliament, and mandates that a successor be chosen to serve until a new constitution is enacted or for a maximum of five years. Prime Minister Péter Magyar declared the day "an important day in the modern history of Hungary and in the transition to democracy."

It would be a betrayal of the Hungarian people if we did not touch this constitution.

The ruling TISZA party holds a constitutional majority in the 199-seat chamber, enabling it to amend the Fundamental Law without opposition support. Fidesz deputies boycotted the session entirely. Gergely Gulyás, head of the Fidesz parliamentary group, resigned from that post on Monday in protest against the changes.

What the amendment contains

Beyond removing the president, the 17th amendment introduces a three-term or 12-year limit on parliamentary mandates, lowers the retirement age for Constitutional Court judges to 70, and establishes a special office for the recovery and protection of assets misappropriated during Viktor Orbán's 16-year tenure. This is the second constitutional amendment passed under Magyar's government; the 16th amendment, adopted in May, imposed an eight-year limit on the prime minister's tenure, counting all terms since 1990 and effectively barring Orbán from holding the office again.

They organised the country so that the will of one man became the source of legislative work. The TISZA party received a clear, enormous mandate, two-thirds of the votes, allowing the dismantling of this system.

The ultimatum to President Sulyok

Magyar announced on Saturday that Sulyok has five days to sign the amendment. If he refuses, parliament will immediately initiate impeachment proceedings. Sulyok's term was set to run until March 2029. Under the current constitution, a president can be removed for failing to respect the Fundamental Law, deliberately violating the duties of office, or committing a criminal offence. Sulyok has stated that no legal or constitutional grounds exist for his resignation.

There are currently no legal or constitutional grounds that would justify my resignation.

Sulyok previously signed the 16th amendment in June but has challenged the 17th amendment before the Constitutional Court. He has also referred questions about the legality of the removal procedure to the Venice Commission. The Hungarian president's role is largely ceremonial, though the office does hold the power to send legislation to the Constitutional Court for preventive review.

Fidesz reaction and street protests

Several thousand Orbán supporters demonstrated in front of the presidential palace in Budapest on Thursday 9 July in defence of Sulyok. Orbán himself did not attend the protest; he travelled to the United States for the football World Cup and has been posting on social media about what he calls the death of Hungarian democracy. Fidesz has described the constitutional changes as politically motivated and legally incompatible with the Fundamental Law.

What comes next

Magyar has announced that a "great joint project" with citizens will launch in the autumn to draft an entirely new constitution to replace the 2011 Fundamental Law enacted under Fidesz. The removal of Fidesz appointees from key state institutions was a central campaign promise of TISZA. Since taking office over two months ago, Magyar has also called for the resignations of the president of the Constitutional Court, the president of the Supreme Court, and the head of the Media Council.