Hungary’s Constitutional Court Rejects Fidesz Appeal

The Hungarian Constitutional Court rejected motions filed by the opposition parties Fidesz and KDNP challenging the 17th amendment to the Constitution, which led to the termination of President Tamas Sulyok’s term, the introduction of a 12-year term limit for members of parliament and an age limit of 70 for Constitutional Court justices, according to Telex.

According to the website, the court emphasized that, based on a previous amendment approved by Fidesz itself, it can review a constitutional amendment only from a procedural standpoint, not in terms of its content.

According to the court’s ruling, the adoption process was in order. In response, Prime Minister Peter Magyar stated that Sulyok’s dismissal and the other changes were in accordance with the Constitution, noting that the verdict was handed down by judges elected by the previous Fidesz administration.

Sulyok, whom Magyar described as a puppet of Viktor Orban’s regime, was removed by parliament in July.

Repealing the amendment would lead to a constitutional crisis, as parliament had already elected the ruling party’s nominee, Andras Baka, former president of the Supreme Court, as the new head of state on 11 August.

(max)