Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Monday that the government will initiate constitutional changes to remove President Tamás Sulyok if he refuses to step down voluntarily.
Speaking at an extraordinary press conference outside Sándor Palace after meeting the president together with Justice Minister Márta Görög, Magyar said the discussion focused on the president’s responsibility and the need to restore confidence in one of Hungary’s most important state institutions.
‘The Hungarian republic does not belong to Tamás Sulyok, Viktor Orbán, a political party or a political system. It is the shared creation of the Hungarian people,’ the prime minister said.
Magyar confirmed that Sulyok did not resign during the meeting. He added that if the president declines to leave office voluntarily, the governing Tisza Party will move to amend Hungary’s Fundamental Law.
According to the prime minister, the constitution currently provides several mechanisms for removing a president, including a formal deprivation procedure. However, he said the government prefers a constitutional amendment in order to protect what remains of the presidency’s prestige and institutional standing.
Magyar argued that Hungary’s national interest requires the presidential office to regain the authority and public trust that he claimed had been damaged by years of silence, omissions and controversial decisions.
He said he informed Sulyok that, should he refuse to resign, he would immediately brief the Tisza Party parliamentary group and begin the necessary legal and political procedures.
The prime minister also noted that the proposed constitutional changes would apply not only to the president but to all officials whose removal the government has sought.
Responding to questions from public media, Magyar rejected suggestions that a change in the presidency could delay efforts to secure European Union funding for Hungary.
He pointed out that under the constitution, if the president resigns or is removed from office, the duties of the head of state are temporarily assumed by the speaker of parliament until a new president is elected. During that period, the acting head of state would retain the authority to sign legislation and other necessary legal acts.
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