Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on 1 June after a meeting with President Tamás Szulek that if the president does not resign, the government will launch a legal process to remove him from office.
According to international media reports, Magyar accused Szulek of “leaving the Hungarian republic” at the press conference.
“I have notified the president that if he remains in office and does not resign of his own accord, I will notify Tisza MPs of his decision today and we will immediately start the necessary procedures,” he said.
The prime minister has expressed his willingness to use the majority of his party in parliament to change the constitution and other legislation to remove Shuyok from office.
The previous day, Shuiok had said he intended to fulfil his mandate for the entirety of his term, until 2029. He was backed by Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party, accusing Magyar of an “illegal ultimatum”.
The president cannot be removed from office by a simple vote in parliament. It is still unclear which path Magyar’s supporters will choose. Most likely they will have to amend the constitutional law.
The president in Hungary has mostly ceremonial powers, but he has, among other things, veto power and recourse to the Constitutional Court, which can slow down the passage of bills.
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, speaking in parliament after taking the oath of office on 9 May, called on the country’s current president, Tamás Szujok, to resign. He said then that the president “lacked the courage” to react publicly to the blunders of the previous government led by Viktor Orban.
Following the April 12 elections, the centre-right Tisza party won a constitutional majority in Hungary’s new parliament, ending the 16-year rule of Viktor Orbán, who is stepping down as prime minister.