The office of President Tamás Sulyok said on Thursday that several provisions of the proposed 17th amendment to Hungary’s Basic Law are incompatible with the principles of the rule of law, democracy and the separation of powers.
In a statement issued by the Sándor Palace, Sulyok stressed that the president serves as an independent constitutional actor within the system of checks and balances and cannot act in place of the government or other branches of power. He argued that the amendment would create an unprecedented situation in Europe by allowing a sitting head of state to be removed for political reasons through provisions that appear specifically tailored to the incumbent.
The president noted that, under the current constitutional framework, only the Constitutional Court may remove a president from office, and only in cases involving intentional violations of the law or the commission of a crime. Since 1990, Hungarian presidents have been elected by parliament under a stable and broadly unchanged procedure, he added.
According to Sulyok, the proposed amendment would undermine not only the presidency but also the independence of other institutions by establishing a precedent for the dismissal of officials and for limiting the re-election of members of parliament through ad hoc political decisions. Such a development, he warned, would foster a concentration of power and arbitrariness rather than strengthen constitutional democracy.
‘The proposed amendment would undermine not only the presidency but also the independence of other institutions’
While acknowledging the government’s electoral mandate, Sulyok argued that no democratic authorization permits the infringement of fundamental constitutional principles or basic rights. He urged lawmakers to take into account the opinion of the Venice Commission as a possible means of resolving the current constitutional dispute in line with European democratic standards.
The president concluded by calling on public figures and civil society to uphold the values of the rule of law, solidarity and humanity, warning that Hungary is at a historic crossroads whose outcome will shape the country’s future for years to come.
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