Péter Magyar and his party “Tisza” achieved a landslide victory in the elections held in April. With a two-thirds majority in parliament, they can undertake fundamental changes to the anti-democratic political system that Viktor Orbán has built over 16 years of rule.
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Since the election victory, Péter Magyar has repeatedly called on the president appointed by Orbán’s party, Tamás Sulyok (Tamaš Šujok), to resign. Magyar gave Sulyok, whom he has repeatedly called “Orbán’s puppet,” a deadline until May 31 to leave the post.
Although the role of the Hungarian president is mostly ceremonial, he is responsible for signing laws and has the right to send bills passed by parliament for review by the Constitutional Court. This raises concerns among supporters of the new government that he might use this power to obstruct their plans.
On Monday morning, Péter Magyar held talks with Tamás Sulyok at the Sandor Palace. Later at a press conference, Magyar announced that the president refused to resign. He added that he would instruct his party’s lawmakers to immediately begin the “necessary procedures” to remove the president, a process he said would take about a month.
“Hungary does not belong to Tamás Sulyok or Viktor Orbán. It does not belong to one party or political system,” Magyar said.
“The Constitution quite clearly states that the president represents the unity of the nation and safeguards the democratic functioning of the state,” he asserted.
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The prime minister did not provide detailed information on what constitutional amendment would be used to remove Tamás Sulyok.
Magyar also accused Sulyok of failing to fulfill his duties on many issues, including not speaking out when Orbán made dehumanizing statements about his political opponents and critics, or when the previous government passed laws banning LGBTIQ marches.
“Hungary’s interest is for this institution – the president’s office – to regain the prestige diminished by its silence and inaction,” Magyar said.
Sulyok’s office issued a statement on Friday saying Magyar’s calls for the president to resign “negatively affect both the constitutional functioning and the authority of the Office of the President of the Republic.”
The statement added that Sulyok has asked the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe’s top legal experts on human rights – to legally assess the conflict.
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