Hungary designates parliament Speaker as acting President until new election

Ágnes Forsthoffer, Speaker of Hungary’s National Assembly, will perform the duties of president after constitutional changes take effect that include the early termination of President Tamás Sulyok’s mandate.

Forsthoffer announced the arrangement on Facebook, noting that Sulyok’s presidential term formally expires on 20 July. Until a new president is elected by parliament, the Speaker of the National Assembly assumes the role under the constitution. She pledged to carry out the responsibilities “in accordance with the Fundamental Law and Hungary’s constitutional order,” acting with dignity, impartiality, and in the country’s best interests. During this interim period, she will not exercise her rights as a member of parliament.

To maintain parliamentary leadership, Forsthoffer proposed that Deputy Speaker Anikó Hallerné Nagy (also referred to as Anikó Nagy) temporarily assume the Speaker’s duties.

Background: President signs his own removal

On 18 July President Tamás Sulyok signed the constitutional amendments (the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law) in a video address, despite the changes explicitly providing for the early end of his own term.

Parliament, which holds a constitutional (two-thirds) majority thanks to Péter Magyar’s Tisza (TISZA) party following its landslide victory in the April 2026 elections, approved the package. Sulyok had five days to sign or veto it; the deadline passed on Saturday, 18 July.

In his statement, Sulyok emphasized his lifelong respect for the rule of law. He described the amendment as a “fateful national issue” transcending personal or partisan interests and stated that, as president, he faced a binary choice: fulfill his constitutional duty by signing or violate the law by refusing. He signed “after carefully weighing [his] legal options and conscience,” calling it the final act of his presidential mandate and an expression of respect for the institution.

Once the signed law is published in the official gazette, Sulyok’s mandate will end the following day.

Key elements of the constitutional changes

The reforms go beyond Sulyok’s removal and include:

Restoration of a 70-year age limit for Constitutional Court judges, which will end the terms of four judges within about two months.
A limit of three parliamentary terms for members of the National Assembly.
Narrowing the scope of laws that require a two-thirds supermajority for passage.

These measures form part of a broader institutional overhaul initiated by the new government.

Political context

Péter Magyar, who leads the Tisza party and became prime minister after ending Viktor Orbán’s long rule in the 2026 elections, had campaigned on removing officials he described as “puppets” or appointees of the previous government, explicitly including Sulyok. Sulyok was elected president in March 2024 (following Katalin Novák’s resignation) for a term originally set to run until 2029.

Magyar submitted the constitutional amendment bill on 4 July. Former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called for protests against the effort to remove Sulyok, but the demonstrations did not gain widespread public support.

Parliament is now expected to elect a new president. Forsthoffer will serve in the acting capacity in the meantime, ensuring continuity in the head-of-state role.

This development marks a significant step in Hungary’s post-election transition and institutional reforms under the new parliamentary majority.

Caption: Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar (2-R) and Foreign Minister Anita Orban (R) vote on the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law during a plenary session of parliament in Budapest, Hungary, 13 July 2026. The National Assembly adopted a constitutional amendment removing the mandate of Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok. The amendment, submitted by Magyar, also limits MPs to a maximum of 12 years, or three terms, introduces a retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges, and allows judges to recall the presidents of the Supreme Court (Kuria) and the National Judicial Office (OBH). EPA/ROBERT HEGEDUS