Hungary’s new Prime Minister Péter Magyar says the government will amend the constitution to remove President Tamás Sulyok. Magyar made the announcement after meeting Sulyok in Budapest, according to Bloomberg. PBS NewsHour and other outlets describe the move as part of a wider effort by Magyar’s government to replace officials appointed during the period of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. PBS NewsHour links the change to Magyar’s push to reduce influence from people appointed under Orbán, while Inquirer.net and Al Jazeera add that Sulyok has been appointed by Orbán’s party.
Several reports note that Magyar came to power after winning a parliamentary election in April and that his coalition has a two-thirds majority, which would allow it to pursue sweeping constitutional changes. Al Jazeera says Magyar had set a deadline for Sulyok to leave office, giving him until Sunday. Across the coverage, the stated plan is to use constitutional mechanisms—through the parliament’s voting power and proposed amendments—to remove the president.
