Hungarian president signs law ending his term

Hungarian President Tamás Szulók has signed a constitutional amendment ending his term as head of state, which was voted in by the ruling Tisza party, Szulók announced on Saturday.

The amendment was voted on as part of Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar's efforts to remove the remnants of his predecessor Viktor Orban's rule, a move the Hungarian claims has received clear support from voters after he convincingly defeated the right-wing leader in elections in April.

The amendment will immediately end Šuljok's mandate, as society has "seriously lost confidence" in the leader elected by MPs from Orbán's Fidesz party in early 2024.

Szuljok said he had no choice and had to sign the constitutional changes because they were in accordance with the law. However, the former constitutional judge warned that the reform had damaged the rule of law in Hungary, Hina reports.

"The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution represents a turning point in Hungary's constitutional democracy," said Šuljók.

"The removal of a public official in a manner that blatantly violates the rule of law... sets a negative precedent that inflicts a deep wound on the constitutional values ​​of democracy, the separation of powers and the rule of law," he added.

Parliament, in which Hungary's Tisza party has a two-thirds majority that allows it to change any law, will elect a new president until the new constitution enters into force or for a maximum period of five years.

The amendment also limits MPs' terms to 12 years and introduces a retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges, which will force the current president of the court and Orban ally Peter Polt to retire.

Since ousting Orban from power in April, the Hungarian has regularly called on Suljok to resign, accusing him of not representing the unity of the nation and of serving the interests of Orban and his government.