Gulyás Gergely resigns as Fidesz parliamentary leader amid Hungary's 17th constitutional amendment

On 13 July 2026, Gulyás Gergely announced his resignation as leader of the Fidesz parliamentary group, saying he could not head the opposition after the government’s 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law would bar him from standing in the 2030 election. The amendment introduces a 12‑year (or three‑term) limit for MPs, removes President Tamás Sulyok, sets a 70‑year age cap for constitutional judges, creates a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office and reshapes several other institutions.

Gulyás told Prime Minister Péter Magyar of his decision on Friday; Magyar later remarked sarcastically in the parliamentary session, “you are a free man.” The ruling Fidesz‑KDNP bloc boycotted the extraordinary sitting, calling the day a “black day” for Hungarian democracy. The amendment passed with 139 votes in favour, six against and none abstaining.

Opposition leaders, including former prime minister Viktor Orbán, denounced the changes as an end to democratic rule, while the new government framed them as a restoration of the rule of law.