Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Monday that if President Tamas Suleok does not resign his government will take steps to remove him.
Suliok, who was elected in 2024 by a parliament dominated by allies of former conservative nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has rejected calls to resign.
Why do Magyars want to become President of Hungary?
Magyar said after talks in Budapest that “necessary procedures” would be initiated after the expiration of the deadline he had set for Suleok to step down.
The new prime minister’s Tisza party won a landslide election victory in April and won a two-thirds majority in parliament, allowing him to amend the constitution.
Magyar has argued that the President no longer represents national unity as the Constitution requires, and may hinder the new government’s agenda.
“We will take the necessary decisions at the appropriate time,” Magyar told reporters after meeting head of state Suleok at his official residence in Budapest.
Magyar said, “Hungary belongs neither to Tamas Suliok, nor to Viktor Orbán. It is not part of any one party or political system.” “The Constitution very clearly states that the President maintains the unity of the nation and protects the democratic functioning of the state.”
President accused of failing in duty
Magyar also accused Suliok of saying nothing when Orbán made dehumanizing comments about critics and when the previous government passed a law banning LGBTQ+ pride events.
Since taking office in May, Magyar has also pushed for the removal of other officials appointed under Orbán’s regime.
He said the planned legislative process would take about a month and would include “removing all puppets” who were involved in “subverting the rule of law and democracy.”
Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was prepared to clear up to €16.4 billion ($19.1 billion) of frozen funding if the new government pursued key reforms.
The cash flow had halted due to what the bloc saw as democratic backsliding and violations of the rule of law under Orbán.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar