Hungary Waited Several Hours for Sulyok's Decision

Hungary's parliament approved a landmark 17th amendment to the country's constitution on Monday, in a vote that fundamentally reshapes the functioning of key state institutions. Lawmakers passed the radical reform by 139 votes to six, with no abstentions.

The amendment introduces an age limit for justices of the Constitutional Court, caps members of parliament to a maximum term of 12 years, and changes the conditions under which a president's term of office can be terminated. According to the website 24.hu, President Tamas Sulyok had given no indication by noon on Saturday of whether he would sign the amendment before the midnight deadline.

That left the president with only a few hours to decide. He had three options: sign the amendment, resign from office, or, if he believed the procedures prescribed by law had not been followed in passing the amendment, appeal to the Constitutional Court. As of noon on Saturday, he had given no indication of which path he would take.

The first two options, according to 24.hu, would lead to a clear outcome. Should the amendment take effect and Sulyok resign, the Speaker of Parliament, Agnes Forsthoffer, would temporarily assume his powers, with the National Assembly then given 30 days to elect a new president.

The third option, appealing to the Constitutional Court, would be far less predictable. According to 24.hu, it could trigger a constitutional crisis and a degree of chaos not seen in Hungary since the fall of the communist regime.

Magyar Weighs His Next Move

Prime Minister Peter Magyar hinted at a possible course of action during a press conference on Saturday, in case Sulyok were to resign or his term were to end. He said the government would wait for the president's decision, adding that he did not expect Sulyok to challenge the constitutional amendment before the Constitutional Court.

According to Magyar, it was no coincidence that the Venice Commission had not ruled on Sulyok's complaint in expedited proceedings, nor that the Constitutional Court had failed to address his petition.

Magyar said that those who had urged Sulyok to take possible partisan actions no longer stood behind him. He added that he did not expect the president to delay his decision further amid internal changes within the Fidesz party.

He said that, should this regrettable situation arise, with Sulyok undermining his office and failing to heed the call of the times, the government would take the necessary steps at the appropriate time.

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No New Candidate Has Emerged Yet

The prime minister also said that the Tisza party leadership had not yet discussed a potential candidate for the presidency, as it would not be appropriate to do so while Sulyok remained in office.

Should the president sign the amendment, or should he resign, the Tisza Party would convene an extraordinary meeting of its parliamentary caucus to raise the issue of a presidential candidate.

If the caucus agreed on a common candidate, Magyar intended to open discussions with the other parliamentary caucuses to determine whether they would be prepared to support that candidate.

President Sulyok broke his silence early on Saturday evening, announcing that he had signed the amendment and thereby ended his term of office.