The decision came after the new government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party accused Sulyok of being too closely aligned with former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s administration, arguing that he could no longer serve as an impartial head of state.
In the April general election, the Tisza Party defeated Orbán’s Fidesz Party, ending its 16-year rule.
Using its parliamentary majority, the new government amended the Constitution to terminate the mandates of President Sulyok and several other senior officials appointed during Orbán’s tenure. The government said the move is part of broader reforms aimed at overhauling state institutions and removing officials it considers closely linked to the previous administration.
The mandate of Péter Polt, the President of the Constitutional Court, was also terminated.
The vote is being described as one of the most significant political developments in Hungary’s recent history, following the new government’s inauguration in early May after Fidesz’s unexpected defeat in the April 12 election.
President Sulyok now has five days to either sign the constitutional amendment into law or refer it to the Constitutional Court for review.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said that if Sulyok chooses to send the amendment to the Constitutional Court, the government will initiate impeachment proceedings, which would immediately suspend him from office.
The remaining alternative would be for Sulyok to resign voluntarily to prevent the country from entering a constitutional and governance crisis.
Lawmakers from the opposition Fidesz Party walked out of Parliament before the vote, accusing the Tisza Party of attempting to establish an authoritarian government.
Fidesz argued that the constitutional amendment gives the government sweeping powers to dismiss senior state officials at will and with immediate effect.
