Hungarian Constitutional Court President Péter Polt leaves office

The mandates of Péter Polt, President of the Constitutional Court, and three other judges—Mária Haszonicsné Ádám, Miklós Juhász, and Zoltán Lomnici—expired on September 1 following a constitutional amendment. The 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law reinstated a 70-year age limit for judges, a rule that had been abolished in 2013.

Proponents of the amendment state that the change is necessary to restore the independence of the Constitutional Court and ensure effective constitutional control over the state. The Fidesz-KDNP party previously protested the amendment, with former parliamentary group leader Gergely Gulyás describing the departure of the judges as the ‘decapitation’ of the body.

The Constitutional Court rejected challenges by Fidesz-KDNP regarding the age limit, citing a lack of jurisdiction. The Parliament is required to elect new judges to fill the vacancies within sixty days. As of September 1, Vice President Ágnes Czine will lead the body in the absence of a president, though her own twelve-year mandate is set to expire in November.