Hungarian PM threatens to oust Orbán-era president

Hungary's president has refused Prime Minister Péter Magyar's demands to step aside, setting up a constitutional clash. Hungarian PM threatens to oust Orbán-era president Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Péter Magyar has repeatedly called on Tamás Sulyok to step aside since his party swept to power in April Peter Magyar and Tamas Sulyok walking through a door. A chandelier hags in the room behind them, which also has a room with red-coloured wallpaper. Hungary's new prime minister has said the government will amend the constitution to remove President Tamás Sulyok after he refused to stand down. Péter Magyar pledged to remove Sulyok and other key figures appointed by his predecessor Viktor Orbán after his landslide election win in April. Magyar has accused the president of serving Orbán's interests and has repeatedly called on him to quit, most recently setting a deadline of 31 May. Sulyok, who was installed in February 2024 by Orbán's party without a direct election, has refused to resign, saying he intends to serve out his five-year term. The stand-off leaves the new government facing a constitutional clash with a remnant of the previous regime. Orbán's Fidesz party has called Magyar's demand an "unlawful ultimatum". In a post on X on Sunday, Magyar said: "Tamás Sulyok has never stood up for the vulnerable, for those under attack, or for the rule of law." He previously said Sulyok was "unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation" following the seismic political shift which April's election produced, and promised to remove him immediately after his victory. Magyar's Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, which gives it the power to amend the constitution, a crucial mechanism the new government will need to unpick Orbán-era reforms. Magyar told reporters the process to remove Sulyok would take around a month. The president again refused to step down on Monday after meeting Magyar, saying "the constitutional crisis situation emerging as a result deepens the social divisions and damages the international judgement of Hungarian democracy". He claimed the stand-off could threaten the unlocking of EU funds bound for Hungary, the bulk of which were held back due to democratic backsliding under Orbán. Last week, the EU said reforms spearheaded by the new government could soon see €16.4bn (£14.2bn) in funding handed to Budapest. While the presidential role is largely ceremonial under Hungary's system of government, it has some practical functions, including confirming public appointments. On Monday, Sulyok announced several military appointments via Facebook. The president can refer laws back to parliament for reconsideration or forward legislation to the constitutional court, which could potentially slow down or block any reform agenda. Sulyok was installed as president in February 2024, following the resignation of Katalin Novák over the government's response to a child sex abuse scandal. Following the end of his 16-year rule, Orbán stepped down as a member of parliament in April. Magyar's party has moved to cut off any route back to power by proposing a constitutional amendment limiting any prime minister to eight years in power. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar (L) reacts as he is welcomed by the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (R) prior a bilateral meeting in the Berlaymont building EU hails Hungary's 'wind of change' and unlocks €16.4bn for new PM Magyar Peter Magyar is sworn in at the Hungarian parliament in Budapest on 9 May 2026. He is standing on the left and looking right, while beside him a man in uniform holds a Hungarian flag. I will serve - not rule over Hungary, says new PM Italians wondered what had happened to the animal's "lucky-charm" testicles. A British helicopter provided support during the operation on Sunday, the UK ministry of defence says. Tomi Reichental, who lost 35 close family members in the Holocaust, moved to the Republic of Ireland in 1959. The deal is a significant boost for Hungary's leader, who has been in office for less than three weeks. Nearly a month ago Péter Magyar steered his Tisza party to a landslide victory, sweeping away 16 years of rule by Viktor Orbán. Péter Magyar meets EU leaders in Brussels, for the first time since his Tisza party won a landslide election. The outgoing prime minister will not take up his seat after leading his party back into opposition. Ukraine says it has reopened the Druzhba pipeline, after months of stalemate over stalled oil supplies to neighbouring Hungary.