Hungary: power struggle between PM and president
Hungary's new prime minister, Péter Magyar, wants to amend the constitution to allow him to remove President Tamás Sulyok from office, whom he accuses of having been too loyal to the former ruling party, Fidesz. The head of state has allowed the deadline for his resignation, set for 31 May, to pass. Under the current constitutional provisions the president is elected by the parliament for a five-year term.
The reckoning has begun
Jutarnji list sees the attempt to oust President Sulyok by any means as the start of a wave of dismissals targeting Orbán loyalists:
“Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, a former confidant of Viktor Orbán, has refused to resign, despite an ultimatum by the new Prime Minister Péter Magyar. This means that Budapest must brace for a harsh political reckoning with Orbán's cadres by the new government . ... Magyar argues that Tamás Sulyok's dismissal is necessary because he served Orbán’s government, which was voted out by the Hungarian people on 12 April, without resistance, and he therefore does not reflect the unity of the nation. This effectively means that all of Orbán’s puppets must go.”
Real test of democracy yet to come
The main issue is not the manner of the succession but the autonomy of the successor, argues Népszava:
“The president was chosen by Viktor Orbán alone. Had he wanted a president who was independent enough even to curtail his own power (which, according to the constitution and current laws, is the duty of the head of state), he would certainly not have chosen Tamás Sulyok. ... The removal is not a test of democracy. How democratic the Tisza Party really is will not be decided by whether Tamás Sulyok is forced to resign (he will be forced to resign – it would be profoundly undemocratic to allow him to remain in office), but by who is appointed to replace him.”
Controversial step to boost rule of law
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar may be forced to make controversial decisions under time pressure, writes Gazeta Wyborcza:
“Removing a president who was lawfully elected by parliament could be politically risky for Hungary and set a precedent that other politicians may follow. Gergely Gulyas, Fidesz's parliamentary group leader, stated on Monday that 'attempts to remove presidents are typically seen in dictatorships.' For Magyar's government, every week now counts in its bid to implement the changes [aimed at restoring the rule of law] to which it committed itself again on Friday (May 29) in Brussels during a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.”
More cooperation needed
The plan contradicts constitutional principles, former liberal politician Gábor Fodor writes in Index:
“The newly elected PM's intentions are at odds both with the [current] Basic Law and the Constitution of the Transition. Back then, during the opposition's Round Table negotiations [in 1989], we decided that the president's term should be five years and that of members of parliament four years, so that the new majority after the elections would also have to learn to cooperate with the president elected by the previous majority. It was out of the question that the president would have to resign after parliamentary elections so that the majority could elect a head of state who was more to their liking.”