Hungarian President Agrees to Constitutional Amendment Leading to His Own Removal

Accra: After days of hesitation, Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, a political ally of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán who was voted out in April, has cleared the way for a constitutional amendment that would force him out of office. According to Ghana News Agency, Sulyok announced he would countersign the constitutional changes, allowing them to enter into force. After parliament passed the constitutional amendment last Monday, new Prime Minister Péter Magyar gave the head of state a five-day deadline to countersign or face impeachment proceedings. Until a new head of state is elected, which is to take place within 30 days, parliamentary speaker Agnes Forsthoffer will assume the president's powers. In Hungary, the head of state is elected by parliament. Magyar confirmed that Sulyok had counter-signed the constitutional changes, and his post would therefore be vacant starting on Monday. Constitutional changes enabling far-reaching political reforms could now take effect. 'With these decisions, we are g iving the Hungarian people back something the Orbán regime has been trying to take away for many years. The certainty that power is limited, common property can be reclaimed and the state can once again serve its citizens, the free Hungarian citizens,' Magyar wrote on Facebook. Sulyok sees no options. Sulyok stressed that parliament's decision to remove him was unconstitutional but he saw no legal means to take action against it. Experts previously said the constitutional court could at most have objected to the parliamentary decision on formal grounds but not on substance. In a video address on Facebook, Sulyok complained that every head of state in Hungary is now 'at the mercy of the executive and politics' and has 'no control function' anymore.