First political crisis in Hungary after elections, President Sulyok refuses to resign - Magyar: Orban's puppet

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Express newspaper

18/05/2026 12:34

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok is refusing to resign despite a call from new Prime Minister Peter Magyar.

The statement was made in an interview published today (18 May), explaining that there is no justification for his resignation. The Hungarian party, TISZA, ousted former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party from power with a landslide election victory last April, ending Orbán’s 16 years of rule and vowing to address the rule of law and other reforms that have been at the heart of disputes between Budapest and the EU.

Describing the election as an "election for regime change," Hungarians are increasing pressure on Fidesz-backed Sulyok and other officials to resign by the end of May.

"At the moment, there is no legal reason or constitutional justification that could justify my resignation," he told 'Index.hu'. "I remain faithful to my oath and as long as the exercise of my duties is possible, I intend to fulfill the mandate I received," the president said.

The role of the president in Hungary is largely ceremonial, although Sulyok can return laws to parliament for review or refer legislation to the Constitutional Court, potentially undermining Hungary's reform drive.

The winner of the election, Prime Minister Magyar, has demanded the resignation of Sulyok and other "puppets" appointed under Orban, whose policies have repeatedly brought his government into conflict with the EU's executive arm.

Sulyok said in an interview with Index.hu that the president should express the unity of the nation and rejected the idea that the elections were a regime change, saying it was a change of government.

Magyar has said that if Sulyok does not resign, he will use his party's strong mandate to revise the constitution to remove the president from office.

Responding to the Hungarian president's interview, Magyar wrote on Facebook today that Hungary needs a president who is not affiliated with any party and reiterated that the president is a "puppet of a failed system."

"You have to leave! And you will leave," he wrote.