A massive political crisis is rapidly gaining momentum in Hungary. The newly appointed Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, and the sitting President, Tamás Sulyok—who represents the “old guard” of the Viktor Orbán era—have entered a phase of open confrontation.
The head of state has officially rejected the head of government’s ultimatum to step down, Bloomberg reports.
The conflict escalated into a hot phase immediately after Péter Magyar took the prime ministerial oath. Backed by the constitutional majority his party secured in parliament, the new prime minister immediately demanded the president’s resignation.
Magyar set a strict deadline of May 31 for Tamás Sulyok. The prime minister stated bluntly that if the president did not leave his post voluntarily by midnight on Sunday, the new government would launch a radical overhaul of the political system and the forced removal of officials loyal to the previous regime
Tamás Sulyok refused to comply with the new leader’s demands. The president publicly declared that he had no intention of resigning and appealed to the law.
“The presidency entails the role of a guarantor of the balance of powers and of oversight over the government’s actions,” Sulyok emphasized.
He added that he is duty-bound to remain in office, citing his constitutional powers as well as the need for strict compliance with both national and European legal norms.
Sulyok’s refusal to accept the prime minister’s terms effectively triggers a fierce political standoff between the “old” and “new” forces in Hungary.
It is clear that Budapest is heading into a period of severe institutional turbulence, the outcome of which will determine the future trajectory of the entire country.