Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok signs amendment that ends his term
On 19 July 2026 the Hungarian parliament approved a 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law that provides for the immediate termination of President Tamás Sulyok’s mandate. The amendment gave Sulyok five days to sign; he did so on Saturday, stating he was fulfilling his constitutional duty. His term will cease at midnight on 20 July.
Following the amendment, the speaker of the National Assembly, Ágnes Forsthoffer, will assume the president’s powers on an interim basis. Parliament must elect a new head of state within 30 days. The reform also introduces a 12‑year term limit for MPs, sets a mandatory retirement age of 70 for Constitutional Court judges (removing current president Peter Polt), and restricts consecutive parliamentary service.
The changes are part of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party’s programme to dismantle the institutional legacy of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after its April electoral victory.