Hungary's PM Magyar moves to oust president and launch anti-corruption 'Purgatory' operation
Prime Minister Peter Magyar submits a constitutional amendment to dismiss President Tamas Sulyok and creates a national asset recovery office, calling it 'Operation Purgatory'.
A new government takes on the old guard
Magyar, whose Tisza party won the April 12 parliamentary elections and ended Viktor Orbán's 16-year rule, laid out a plan to remove what he called "Orbán's marionettes" from top posts. He had given President Sulyok, Constitutional Court president Péter Polt, and Supreme Court president András Varga a deadline of May 30 to resign voluntarily, but they refused. Now he is amending the constitution to force them out.
With 'Operation Purgatory' we liberate our country from the captivity of the political and economic mafia that has ruled for the past 16 years.
The president in the crosshairs
The amendment states that "the day after the latest amendment to the Constitution comes into force, the President of the Republic's term of office shall cease." Sulyok, in office since March 2024, has denied having a political agenda, claiming he only ensured the necessary balance of powers. If removed, Parliament will elect a new head of state for up to five years or until a new constitution comes into force.
I have had no political agenda and have only ensured the necessary balance of powers.
The anti-corruption push
At the heart of Magyar's reforms is the creation of a National Asset Protection and Recovery Office, tasked with tracing and recovering misused public funds from the past two decades. Magyar said corruption has cost Hungarians between 8 and 10 percent of GDP in recent years. The EU has withheld part of Hungary's funding over graft concerns.
Sweeping constitutional changes
Beyond the president, the amendment introduces a 70-year age limit for Constitutional Court judges (ending the mandate of those over 70, including Péter Polt), a 12-year term limit for MPs, and allows judges to elect the presidents of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Court, and the Council of the Judiciary. Magyar also announced that a broad constitutional process will start in September with public involvement, and a new constitution will be ratified by referendum.
He called Magyar's speech 'slanderous and outrageous'.
Timeline of the purge
- Magyar's Tisza party wins parliamentary election, ending Orbán's Fidesz rule.
- Deadline for Orbán-era officials to resign passes; President Sulyok and court presidents ignore it.
- Magyar unveils constitutional amendment to remove president and launches Operation Purgatory.
- Broad constitutional process begins, with public involvement leading to referendum on a new constitution.
