Kinga Gál, Vice-President of the Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, announced on X today that a priority written question to the European Commission has been submitted by “dozens of patriotic, conservative and sovereignist MEPs,” regarding what they describe as a “constitutional coup” by Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government.
The urgency comes in response to the ruling Tisza party’s introduction of the 17th amendment to the Hungarian Fundamental Law, to be voted on in the country’s parliament today. The amendment immediately removes the legitimately elected President of the Republic, Tamás Sulyok, years before the end of his term through clearly ad personam legislation.
The constitutional changes also restrict citizens’ electoral rights by banning anyone who has previously served as a member of the National Assembly for 12 years or more from running in future elections. Additionally, the amendment terminates the mandates of Constitutional Court members who have reached the age of 70, resulting in the early termination of the mandates of four justices, including the Court president’s mandate.
The MEPs submitting the urgent written question demand to know why the Commission—which punished the Orbán government for over a decade for alleged rule-of-law violations—has remained completely silent on these unprecedented measures.
The domestic political fallout in Hungary has been swift. On Monday, Gergely Gulyás announced his resignation as Fidesz parliamentary group leader, explaining that the group should be led by a politician who remains eligible to run in future elections under the new 12-year term limit. Gulyás condemned today’s parliamentary session as a “black day” for Hungarian democracy, arguing that the Tisza party’s changes are designed to systematically exclude political opponents and dismantle the country’s existing constitutional order. KDNP faction leader Bence Rétvári echoed Gulyás’s concerns, warning that the amendment represents a dangerous centralization of power that effectively muzzles political dissent.
In protest against the reforms, the Fidesz and Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) parliamentary groups also announced they would boycott today’s legislative session during the vote on the 17th amendment. Rather than participating in the vote, the conservative lawmakers instead decided to pay their respects at the grave of late Prime Minister József Antall, the first democratically elected PM of Hungary after the fall of communism.
