Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment on July 18, 2026, that officially ended his presidency at midnight on July 19, 2026 [1, 2, 3]. The amendment was pushed through by Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party, which holds a two-thirds majority in parliament [1, 2, 3]. Parliament approved the amendment on July 14 by a 139-6 vote, with no abstentions [3].
The amendment removes Sulyok from office along with Peter Polt, head of the Constitutional Court, and imposes a retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges [1, 2, 3]. It also sets a 12-year term limit for lawmakers and prohibits deputies who have served three terms in parliament from running again, affecting over half of the current Fidesz deputies [1, 2, 3].
Sulyok was elected president in early 2024 by lawmakers from Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party and was seen as an ally of Orbán [1, 2, 3]. In April 2026, Magyar's Tisza party won a landslide election victory, ending Orbán's 16-year rule [1, 2, 3].
Sulyok initially resisted stepping down. He sought an opinion from the Venice Commission about the constitutional dispute but confirmed he would accept the law change as the deadline passed on the evening of July 18 [2, 3]. He said the amendment "marked a watershed in Hungary's constitutional democracy" and accused Magyar's government of violating the rule of law by removing public office holders [1, 2].
Following Sulyok's exit, Parliament Speaker Agnes Forsthoffer will exercise presidential powers until a successor is elected [3].
The next steps will include choosing a new president to replace Sulyok, who left office as mandated by the constitutional amendment passed by the Tisza party-controlled parliament.
