Hungary's new Prime Minister, Peter Magyar, announced that he will meet with President Tamás Sújók on Monday to demand his resignation. Magyar had previously called on the head of state to voluntarily leave office by the end of May.
“The deadline for submitting my resignation is midnight today. On Monday at 8:00 am I will visit President Tamás Sújók, accompanied by the Minister of Justice“, Magyar wrote on Facebook.
Sújók refused to resign at Magyar's request and on May 29 asked the Venice Commission to provide a legal assessment of the conflict between them. "Calls for the removal of the head of state for political reasons, which are not subject to interpretation in accordance with the Basic Law, create an extremely contradictory situation in the existing constitutional order, which negatively affects the constitutional functioning and authority of the presidential institution of the republic," the presidential press service said.
It noted that Suyok had appealed to the Venice Commission, an advisory body to the Council of Europe, to assess the current situation and "provide expert assistance to resolve the controversial situation, taking into account European constitutional values."
Following the victory of his party "Tisa" in the parliamentary elections on April 12, Magyar called on the Hungarian president to resign. The new prime minister believes that Suyok has no right to remain in office, as he has failed to prevent the abuses committed by the previous government, led by Viktor Orbán, in political, social and financial matters in recent years, despite his responsibilities.
Orbán and his party “Fidesz“ -Hungarian Civic Union, which has moved into opposition, have come out in support of Suyok. They believe that such demands by the new prime minister set an extremely dangerous precedent, lead to a usurpation of power and contradict the country's constitution.
According to Hungarian law, the president is elected by parliament for a five-year term, and no new government has ever called for his resignation. Suyok was elected head of state in 2024. A petition has been launched in Hungary in his defense.