Hungarian president signs constitutional amendment ending his own term, clearing path for Magyar's reforms

The signing

On Saturday, July 18, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed the 17th amendment to the country's Fundamental Law, a move that ends his own term as head of state. The legislation was passed by parliament on July 13 with 139 votes in favour and 6 against, while the 54 deputies of Viktor Orban's Fidesz party boycotted the session. Sulyok had five days to promulgate the amendment or face an impeachment process. By signing, he avoided a prolonged constitutional crisis, but his term ends either immediately or at midnight on Sunday, July 19, depending on the source.

I fulfil my obligation under the Fundamental Law, in conscience, after evaluating my legal options.

Sulyok's warning

The former Constitutional Court judge did not hide his disagreement. He warned that the reform has harmed the rule of law in Hungary and set a negative precedent. In a Facebook video, he described the amendment as a "watershed in Hungary's constitutional democracy" and predicted it would be remembered as a "serious and shameful historical example of abuse of political power."

The seventeenth amendment to the Constitution has marked a watershed in Hungary's constitutional democracy. By removing public office holders in a manner that openly violates the rule of law, it sets a negative precedent that inflicts a deep wound on the constitutional values of democracy, the separation of powers, and the rule of law.

Magyar's reform agenda

Prime Minister Peter Magyar, whose centre-right Tisza party won a landslide victory in April, has made dismantling Orban's power structures a central promise. He has repeatedly called Sulyok a "puppet" of the former prime minister and argued that the president failed to represent national unity. After the signing, Magyar declared that "the last obstacle to the implementation of our common decisions has been removed." He said the new president should be a person without a political past and without ties to any party.

We are giving back to citizens what the Orban regime tried to take from them for many years: the certainty that power can be limited, public wealth can be recovered, and the state can once again serve its citizens, the free citizens of Hungary.

Opposition and rights groups react

Viktor Orban condemned the amendment as an act of tyranny, stating that "the last barrier has fallen" and "tyranny is no longer a threat, but a reality." Fidesz organised a protest last week, calling the reform "autocratic." International human rights organisations also weighed in. Human Rights Watch said the adjustments were "reminiscent of the Fidesz era," while Amnesty International argued that Sulyok had the right to due process.

What the amendment changes

Beyond ending Sulyok's presidency, the constitutional revision introduces a 12-year term limit for lawmakers and sets a mandatory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges, forcing the court's president, Orban ally Peter Polt, to step down. It also bars deputies who have served three terms from running again, a measure that affects more than half of Fidesz's current MPs. The amendment creates a constitutional basis for a National Office for the Recovery and Protection of Assets.

Next steps

Parliament speaker Agnes Forsthoffer will serve as acting president until a new head of state is elected by parliament within 30 days. Magyar's Tisza party holds a two-thirds majority, allowing it to change the constitution and elect a president without opposition support. The new president will serve until a new constitution takes effect or for a maximum of five years.