Hungary's parliament votes 139-6 to amend constitution and oust President Sulyok, whom PM Magyar calls Orbán's 'puppet'

The vote and its immediate consequences

Hungary’s parliament adopted a sweeping constitutional amendment on Monday, 13 July 2026, backed by 139 deputies and opposed by six. The required two-thirds majority was reached after the Fidesz faction of former prime minister Viktor Orbán walked out in protest. The amendment inserts a provision that ends the mandate of incumbent President Tamás Sulyok, imposes a three-term limit on MPs, and creates a dedicated asset-recovery office to reclaim funds allegedly misappropriated during the Orbán years.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar opened the session by describing the day as “a significant day for the history of Hungary and for the system change.” He said parliament was deciding “whether we end that era in which the failed Fidesz party repurposed the constitution into its own rulebook for exercising power.” Should Sulyok refuse to sign the amendment within five days, Magyar warned that parliament would launch a removal procedure against him.

If he does not do it, a removal procedure against him could be launched.

Why Sulyok is in the crosshairs

Sulyok, 70, was appointed president in 2024 by the then Fidesz-controlled parliament. Magyar and his centre-right Tisza party argue that Sulyok never served the Hungarian nation but acted as Orbán’s “puppet,” failing to protect the rule of law during what they characterise as an authoritarian and corrupt system. Magyar had publicly called on Sulyok to resign immediately after his April election victory, calling the president “unworthy” and “unsuitable as a moral authority or role model.”

It would be a betrayal of the Hungarian nation if we did not change this constitution.

Sulyok has pushed back. In an interview with the Swiss magazine Weltwoche, he insisted that the president “holds no political power, does not belong to the executive, and therefore cannot be held politically accountable.” He maintained that the constitution requires mutual cooperation between the president, parliament, and government, adding: “I have offered this cooperation from the very beginning and I continue to seek it.”

The mechanics of removal

Under the amendment, Sulyok has five days to promulgate the new constitutional text. If he withholds his signature, the Tisza supermajority can initiate an ouster procedure that must then be approved by the constitutional court. In the event of a vacancy, parliamentary speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer would assume presidential powers until a successor is elected. Sulyok’s term was originally due to run until March 2029. Although the presidency is largely ceremonial, the head of state can refer legislation to the constitutional court.

Criticism and the Orbán camp’s response

Amnesty International warned that removing Sulyok without proper process could set a “dangerous precedent,” insisting the president is entitled to due process. Fidesz, whose deputies boycotted the vote, accused Magyar’s government of constructing an “autocratic regime”, the same charge levelled against Orbán during his 16 uninterrupted years in power. On Thursday, several thousand Orbán supporters rallied outside the presidential palace in defence of Sulyok; Orbán himself did not attend. On the day of the vote, Fidesz parliamentary group leader Gergely Gulyás resigned from his post.

A dismissal of the president purely for political reasons would be a dangerous precedent.

Public mood and what comes next

A May 2026 poll by the 21 Research Center found that 67 percent of Hungarian voters want Sulyok to step down. Magyar has framed the amendment as part of “Operation Purifying Fire,” a broader effort to dismantle what he calls “Orbán’s political and economic mafia” and to prevent any future concentration of power. The amendment’s additional provisions, the three-term cap and the asset-recovery office, signal the new government’s intent to restructure the state architecture inherited from the Orbán era. The immediate focus now shifts to whether Sulyok signs the text within the five-day window or forces parliament to trigger the removal mechanism.