Hungary has entered a new phase of severe political confrontation. Only three months after Viktor Orban's historic election loss, his party "Fidesz" came out with an extremely harsh position, in which it accused the new liberal and pro-European government of pushing the country towards authoritarianism.
The reason for the reaction was the submission of a radical bill to change the Constitution. According to analysts and party representatives close to Orban, the actions of the new rulers represent the "end of constitutional democracy" in the country.
„Operation Purifying Fire“ exploded opposition
The new Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who took power after the elections in April 2026, has launched a large-scale reform package called “Operation Cleansing Fire“. The main goal of the initiative is the complete dismantling of Orbán's political system, which has been built over 16 years.
Over the past 24 hours, his party “Tisa“ officially introduced a constitutional amendment that prematurely terminates the mandate of the head of state Tamás Szujók - a key ally of Viktor Orbán. The amendment will end Szujók's rule only in the third year of his 5-year term. This has caused a wave of anger from “Fidesz“, who define the violent change of institutions as a direct attack on the rule of law row.
Blocking Orbán's possible return
In addition to removing the president, the new constitutional reforms provide for:
- Term limit: The maximum term for holding the post of Prime Minister is limited to two terms (a total of 8 years). This measure directly blocks the possibility of Viktor Orbán returning to the executive branch in the future.
- Judicial Reform and Anti-Corruption: An entirely new National Service for the Protection and Recovery of Assets is being created, aimed at the “mafia system“ and the oligarchic circles of the previous government.
- Reconciliation with Brussels: The new government has already joined Hungary to the European Public Prosecutor's Office and unblocked frozen European funds.
Civil organizations also express concern
Paradoxically, Orbán's accusations of tyranny have also found partial resonance among some human rights organizations, although for completely different reasons. Amnesty International Hungary and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ) warned that even democratic reforms must be carried out strictly constitutionally. According to them, the removal of the president should be done through an impeachment procedure, and not through express changes to the Basic Law without broad public debate.
In an attempt to defuse the tension, Magyar's office has turned to the Council of Europe's Venice Commission for a legal assessment of the changes, but the political battle in Budapest is yet to heat up.
Sources: Daily News Hungary, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle, Logos Press, Demócrata