BUDAPEST — Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar stood before parliament on Monday and announced that his government would pursue a constitutional amendment to remove the country’s president from office, while also unveiling a sweeping package of anti-corruption reforms.
Magyar told lawmakers that his administration would take wide-ranging economic, political, and legal steps to address corruption in Hungary, including the establishment of a new National Asset Protection and Recovery Office.
Magyar has labeled the reform package “Operation Purgatory.” Here are the key elements of the plan:
The government intends to amend 47 laws to build the legal framework for the new National Asset Protection and Recovery Office, which would investigate suspected misuse of public funds going back two decades.
Magyar claims that corruption has drained between 8% and 10% of Hungary’s gross domestic product in recent years.
A constitutional amendment would be used to remove President Tamas Sulyok from office. Magyar has accused Sulyok — described as one of Hungary’s least popular politicians — of helping to sustain the influence of right-wing former leader Viktor Orban. Sulyok has denied having any political agenda, saying he simply provided necessary checks and balances.
If Sulyok is removed, parliament would elect a new president to serve a term of up to five years.
Lawmaker Gergely Gulyas, a member of the previous ruling party Fidesz, sharply criticized Magyar’s address, calling it “slanderous and appalling.”
A wide-ranging constitutional review, including public consultations, is scheduled to begin in the fall. Any new constitution would be put to a public referendum.
Proposed legal changes would set a mandatory retirement age of 70 for judges on the Constitutional Court, which holds the power to block certain legislation. Under that rule, Orban ally Peter Polt would be required to step down as head judge.
Additional reforms would allow two-thirds of judges to initiate the removal of the heads of the Kuria — Hungary’s supreme court — and the National Judicial Office, provided two-thirds of lawmakers also approve.
The plan also calls for limiting lawmakers’ terms in office to a maximum of 12 years.
