Hungary’s President Tamas Sulyok is standing firm against demands from the country’s new Prime Minister Peter Magyar that he step down, according to an interview released Monday where Sulyok stated no valid grounds exist for his departure.
Magyar’s TISZA party scored a decisive victory over Viktor Orban’s longtime ruling Fidesz party in April elections, bringing an end to Orban’s 16-year grip on power. The new leadership has vowed to address rule of law concerns and implement other changes that have been central to ongoing tensions between Hungary’s capital and European Union officials.
Describing the April vote as a “vote for a change of regime,” Magyar has been intensifying demands that Sulyok, who was backed by Fidesz, along with other officials step down before May concludes.
“There is currently no legal reason or constitutional justification that could justify my resignation,” Sulyok stated to Index.hu.
“I remain faithful to my oath, and as long as the exercise of my office is not impossible, I intend to fulfil the mandate I have undertaken.”
While Hungary’s presidential position is primarily symbolic, Sulyok retains authority to send legislation back to lawmakers for review or submit laws to the Constitutional Court, actions that could obstruct Magyar’s planned reforms.
Magyar has demanded that Sulyok and other “puppets” installed during Orban’s tenure resign, noting that Orban’s policies frequently created conflicts with EU leadership and resulted in blocked funding from the European bloc.
During his Index.hu interview, Sulyok argued that the presidency should represent national unity and disputed characterizations of the election as a regime shift, describing it instead as simply a governmental transition.
Magyar has warned that should Sulyok refuse to resign, he plans to leverage his party’s strong electoral mandate to modify constitutional and other legal provisions to remove him from office.
Responding to Sulyok’s interview comments, Magyar posted on Facebook Monday that Hungary requires a president who remains independent of political factions and repeated his assertion that the president represents a “puppet of the failed system.”
“You must leave! And you will leave,” he declared.
