Demonstrators Protest in Hungary Against Plans to Oust President

Former Hungarian President Janos Ader speaks during a protest held by Fidesz and KDNP against the amendment of the Basic Law, in front of the presidential Sándor Palace in Budapest, Hungary, on July 9, 2026. Tibor Illyes/MTI via APSupporters of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán came out in their thousands in Budapest on July 9 to protest plans to remove the country’s president.At the protest, entitled Stop Tyranny, demonstrators spoke out in defense of President Tamás Sulyok, who faces removal via a constitutional amendment.Orbán promoted the event on social media, but did not attend himself.One protester, Krisztina Nemerkényi, said the demonstration was not about Sulyok himself, but about the principle at stake.‘Unacceptable in a Democracy’“The point is not whether Tamás Sulyok is popular or not, but that this is simply unacceptable in a democracy,” she said.On June 1, new Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said that he would amend the constitution to remove Sulyok, whom he has accused of failing in his duties while Orbán was prime minister.In Hungary, the post of president is largely ceremonial, and under the constitution or Fundamental Law, adopted in 2012, the president is chosen in a secret ballot by members of the National Assembly.But the president also has a role in signing legislation into law and has the power to send bills passed by the Hungarian parliament to the constitutional court for review.The center-right Tisza party, led by Magyar, defeated ​Orban’s Fidesz-KDNP alliance in an election on April 12, and Magyar became prime minister.Magyar met with Sulyok at the Sándor Palace—the presidential residence—on June 1, but later said the president had refused to resign.Afterward, Magyar said he would instruct lawmakers from his Tisza party, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament, to immediately begin the “necessary procedures” to remove Sulyok, a process he estimated might take a month.Magyar, who accused his predecessor of corruption during the election campaign, has taken action to remove numerous political appointees and heads of institutions appointed by Orbán during his 16 years in power.Vote Next WeekA proposal to amend the Fundamental Law, introduced in 2011, is set to go to a vote in the Hungarian parliament next week.It would terminate Sulyok’s term, set term limits for members of parliament, and implement reforms to the judiciary.Former Hungarian President Janos Ader speaks during a protest held by Fidesz and KDNP against the amendment of the Basic Law, in front of the presidential Sándor Palace in Budapest, Hungary, on July 9, 2026. Tibor Illyes/MTI via APThe proposal would also create a new body that would investigate alleged financial abuses by Orbán’s government.Orbán and his supporters have accused Magyar of assaulting the rule of law and democratic norms, and have alleged he was moving toward tyranny.János Pócs, a Fidesz lawmaker, conceded that his own party had made 15 changes to the Fundamental Law itself while in power; he said it had always done so “in the interest of the country, in order to protect the country, but not for the sake of dictatorship.”Magyar’s government has already implemented an eight-year term limit for prime ministers and removed the heads of the national security and intelligence agencies appointed by Orbán’s government.It also sought to improve relations with the European Union—which had grown frosty toward the end of Orbán’s rule—and has secured 16.4 billion euros (around $19 billion) of EU funding for Hungary, which had been held up by Brussels.The Associated Press contributed to this report.