Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced Monday, June 1, that his government will initiate legal proceedings and seek constitutional amendments to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office. The move follows Sulyok’s refusal to resign after a meeting between the two leaders. Magyar aims to dismantle the institutional remnants of Viktor Orbán’s former regime.
The conflict escalated during a meeting on Monday, June 1, where President Tamás Sulyok rejected the Prime Minister’s demand to step down. Magyar stated the government will launch legal proceedings to remove Sulyok, asserting that the president failed to protect the rule of law and the underprivileged.
The Prime Minister’s strategy includes proposing constitutional amendments to facilitate the removal. This is part of a broader effort by the Magyar administration to dismantle the institutional framework established under Viktor Orbán. Because Orbán’s party appointed President Sulyok, Magyar views his continued presence as a remnant of the previous political order.
President Sulyok refused to yield to political pressure. He has repeatedly rejected calls for his resignation, maintaining that the head of state must remain independent of government demands.
Magyar also publicly mocked the president’s compensation, highlighting Sulyok’s monthly salary of 6.3 million forints (approximately €17,800) to contrast the cost of the office with the struggles of the Hungarian people.
The move to remove President Sulyok is a critical step in Prime Minister Magyar’s effort to purge the institutional remains of the Orbán era. As the government prepares the legal and constitutional mechanisms, the clash underscores the tension between the new administration’s drive for systemic change and the legal protections afforded to the head of state.