Hungarian President Rejects Calls to Step Down

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has rejected calls to resign from newly elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar, saying there is no legal or constitutional basis for him to step down.

In an interview with Index.hu, Sulyok said he intended to remain in office and uphold his presidential oath for as long as permitted.

Magyar’s Tisza party won the April elections, ending the 16-year rule of Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party. The new prime minister described the result as a “vote for regime change” and urged Sulyok and other officials linked to the previous government to leave office by the end of May.

Sulyok dismissed that characterization, saying the outcome represented a change of government rather than a broader political transformation.

Magyar later reiterated his position on Facebook, arguing that Hungary needs a president independent of political factions. He described Sulyok as a “puppet of a failed system” and added: “You have to go. And you will leave.”

(reuters, bak)