As we reported, on May 29th Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok turned to the Advisory Body on Constitutional Law of the Council of Europe, known as the Venice Commission, requesting their expert assistance in resolving the constitutional conflict between his office and the Hungarian government.
The conflict originates in the Magyar government’s resolve to get rid of the President elected by the previous Fidesz-majority parliament at all costs. As a legally questionable and unprecedented solution to oust him, the government has proposed an amendment (the 17th) to Hungary’s Basic Law (constitution) which includes the sentence “the mandate of the current President ceases on the day following the entry into force of the 17th amendment to the constitution.”
Invited by Sulyok, a delegation of the Commission arrived in Budapest on Thursday, July 2nd, and its members met with the President at the Sándor Palace, the official residence of Hungarian Presidents of the Republic.
President Sulyok shared in a statement that he held talks with Marta Cartabia, President of the Venice Commission, Simona Granata-Menghini, Director and Secretary of the Venice Commission, and Christoph Grabenwarter, Member of the Venice Commission delegated by Austria.
Sulyok recalled that he had turned to the Venice Commission for expert assistance in finding a solution to “the constitutional conflict between Hungarian public institutions” that emerged after the elections, in the context of European constitutional values. The Venice Commission indicated that it was ready to discuss the submission urgently and to obtain information on the matter through personal consultations in Budapest.
Sulyok said in his statement posted on social media the he appreciates the Venice Commission’s commitment to supporting the resolution of the disputed situation, and at the same time expressed his hope that the consultations between the body and the Hungarian government will also contribute effectively to preserving the Hungarian constitutional order at a level that is in line with European standards.
