BUDAPEST — Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok signed a constitutional amendment on Saturday ending his term in office, concluding a political standoff with the country’s new government, which sought his removal as part of efforts to replace officials appointed during former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration.Prime Minister Péter Magyar, whose center-right, pro-European Tisza party won April’s parliamentary election, had repeatedly urged Sulyok to resign, arguing that he had failed to uphold the presidency by not resisting what Magyar described as anti-democratic measures introduced under Orbán’s government.After Sulyok declined to step down, lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment this week providing for the immediate termination of his presidency. Under Hungarian law, Sulyok had five days to sign the measure, which he approved on the final day before the deadline.In a video posted on Facebook, Sulyok said being required to sign the amendment was evidence that “the fundamental values of a free society, the rule of law, democracy, and the principle of power-sharing” had been undermined in the pursuit of political power.Sulyok’s term will officially end at midnight on Monday. Parliament Speaker Ágnes Forsthoffer will serve as acting president until lawmakers elect a successor within the constitutionally mandated 30-day period.Since taking office in May, Magyar’s government has launched a series of reforms aimed at dismantling institutions established under Orbán’s administration. The government has suspended the news service of Hungary’s public broadcaster, closed the Sovereignty Protection Office, and introduced judicial reforms.The constitutional amendment also establishes an office to investigate alleged financial abuses during the previous administration and introduces a 12-year term limit for members of parliament.Former Prime Minister Orbán criticized the move, writing on Facebook that “tyranny is no longer a threat, but a reality,” and warned that if such action could be taken against the president, “tomorrow no one will be safe.”Magyar defended the amendment, saying it fulfilled key campaign promises and restored democratic safeguards that he said had been eroded under the previous government. He added that his party would meet on Monday to discuss its nominee for the presidency.
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