Hungary's new premier Peter Magyar launches sweeping constitutional reforms to dismantle Orban's legacy

After the April 12, 2026 election that ousted Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, Peter Magyar became Hungary's prime minister. His government swiftly passed a series of constitutional amendments, dubbed “Operation Clean‑up,” that remove key officials appointed under Orbán, including President Tamás Sulyok and several Constitutional Court judges.

The reforms restore the Constitutional Court's original jurisdiction, limit the use of a two‑thirds parliamentary majority for future changes, create a body to recover illegally obtained assets, and impose a three‑term cap on MPs. They also introduce stricter term limits for high‑level officials and a new mechanism to dismiss the president.

Orbán, now in the United States, condemned the changes as authoritarian, accusing the new government of seeking to undermine legitimate power. The overhaul marks a rapid reversal of sixteen years of Orbán‑era policies and is being closely watched by the European Union and other Western partners.