On Monday, July 13th, 2026, the Hungarian parliament voted to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office. Sulyok was widely regarded as a loyalist of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who lost power in April after 16 years in office.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party, holding a two-thirds majority, passed the 17th amendment to the constitution. This amendment not only ends the terms of Sulyok and Péter Polt, head of the Constitutional Court, but also removes Constitutional Court judges over the age of 70 and prohibits deputies who have served three terms from standing again—a rule affecting more than half of the current Fidesz deputies.

The vote marked the most dramatic day in parliament since the new government took office in early May, following its surprise landslide victory against Orbán's Fidesz party on April 12th. Deputies from the opposition Fidesz party walked out before the vote, accusing the Tisza party of building a tyranny. After the results were announced, the 141 Tisza deputies gave a standing ovation.

Sulyok now has five days to either sign the amendment or refer it to the Constitutional Court. Prime Minister Magyar has stated that if Sulyok refers it to the court, impeachment proceedings will be launched against him, which would automatically suspend him from office. The government has also urged Sulyok to resign to avoid a constitutional crisis.

Observers note the irony that Fidesz has fallen victim to its own concept of power. The new amendments limit the public's right to vote for whom they wish and reflect the difficulty in dismantling a sophisticated authoritarian regime designed to survive electoral defeat. After its long tenure, Fidesz had captured state institutions and created an authoritarian state.

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