Hungarian PM Péter Magyar moves to oust President Sulyok via constitutional amendment, announces sweeping anti-corruption drive

Constitutional amendment to remove the president

Prime Minister Péter Magyar, speaking before parliament on Monday, confirmed his government will begin the process of removing President Tamás Sulyok through a constitutional amendment. Sulyok, elected by deputies of Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, has a term running until March 2029. Magyar had previously set a 31 May deadline for the voluntary resignation of Sulyok and the heads of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, calling them "Orbán's puppets". The deadline passed without resignations.

“We will begin the procedure to end the term of the current president. We will elect a new president who will restore the dignity of the office.”

Sulyok rejected the calls, warning that attempts to remove him threaten the rule of law and constitutional order of Hungary. Under the current constitution, a president can be removed only for violating the basic law, intentionally breaching duties, or committing a common crime. Magyar's Tisza party holds a constitutional majority of 141 out of 199 seats, enabling the amendment.

"Cleansing Fire" anti-corruption operation

Magyar declared the launch of an operation he called "Cleansing Fire", aimed at freeing Hungary from what he described as a political and economic mafia. The centrepiece is the creation of a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, which will coordinate financial investigations. Its remit includes verifying suspicious real estate transactions, examining lucrative concession contracts, and retroactively auditing all public procurements exceeding $32 million.

“The government will free Hungarians from the political and economic mafia that plundered our country, threatened its citizens, and made their lives unbearable.”

Magyar noted that establishing the office requires amending 47 legal acts. He stressed that the proposals for the office and the constitutional amendment were submitted together because, in his view, "there is no point in talking about recovering assets if the puppets who failed to prevent theft for years remain in power."

Broader constitutional reform and referendum

Beyond the immediate removal of the president, Magyar outlined a wider constitutional reform to begin in autumn and culminate in a referendum. Proposed changes include limiting the combined parliamentary terms of MPs to 12 years, altering the method of electing the president of the Constitutional Court so that judges choose from among themselves, and introducing a mandatory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges. The latter would end the term of current court president Péter Polt, a former Fidesz member.

“It may take longer, but time is not the problem. What matters is quality and content. We want the country to have a constitution that everyone can accept in good faith.”

Magyar indicated that the constitutional referendum could be held as early as next summer.

Timeline and next steps

According to Magyar, the president's mandate could expire at the end of July or beginning of August, after which parliament must elect a successor within 30 days. He urged swift action, saying it is in the country's interest to proceed as quickly as possible. The autumn reform process will run in parallel with the work of the new asset recovery office.