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Hungary's parliament moves to amend constitution to remove Orbán-allied President Tamás Sulyok

Hungary's National Assembly, where Prime Minister Péter Magyar's coalition holds a two-thirds majority, moved on July 13 to rewrite the constitution to remove President Tamás Sulyok, a 70-year-old ally of former PM Viktor Orbán; Magyar has repeatedly called Sulyok unworthy of office for failing to challenge Orbán's governance abuses; critics warned the constitutional overhaul risks entrenching Magyar's own power

Leaders·Courts· active Who Decides·What Broke ·3 takes ·
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The split

The same story, as told by newsrooms in different countries. Their words, attributed and linked.

Belgium / pan-European

Euronews

“Magyar repeatedly called on Sulyok to resign, branding the 70-year-old unworthy of the post for failing to stand up to Orbán's divisive rhetoric and attacks on the rule of law.”

pan-European, EU rule-of-law framingread the original ↗

Georgia / South Caucasus

Prism

“Parliament moved to oust Sulyok as Magyar used a two-thirds majority to rewrite Hungary's rules, igniting fears of a new power grab.”

South Caucasus and Eastern Europe democracy trackerread the original ↗

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Summary

Hungary's National Assembly began amending the Basic Law on July 13 to remove President Tamás Sulyok, who was appointed during the Viktor Orbán (Hungary) era. Prime Minister Péter Magyar, whose coalition commands the two-thirds constitutional supermajority needed to rewrite the Basic Law, called Sulyok "unworthy of the post" for not challenging Orbán-era governance abuses. Both Euronews (pan-European) and Prism (South Caucasus democracy tracker) noted that Magyar is using the same constitutional engineering tools Orbán deployed for 12 years, raising concern among Hungarian civil society about a new consolidation of power under the new administration.

Why it matters

Hungary's two-thirds parliamentary majority can rewrite the constitution without a referendum. Whether Magyar uses this power to restore rule-of-law protections or to entrench his own administration will be a central test for Hungary's EU standing and for the disbursement of previously frozen EU funds tracked in EU releases €16.4bn in frozen funds to Hungary as Magyar's government meets reform conditions.

What to watch

  • When the National Assembly finalises the constitutional amendment and whether a replacement president is named quickly.
  • EU and European Commission assessment of the process and any effect on Hungary's recovery and resilience plan.
  • Whether Fidesz challenges the amendment in Hungary's Constitutional Court, and the court's composition following Magyar's changes.

The briefing, by email