The Albany Gazette - Hungary MPs pass constitutional tweak to oust Orban-allied president

Magyar, who won a landslide victory in April on the promise of turning the page on Orban's 16-year rule, has accused unpopular President Tamas Sulyok and other top state officials of being his predecessor's "puppets".

His push to remove Sulyok comes as the pro-European conservative rushes to undo the concentration of power that marked Orban's self-styled "illiberal" premiership, which won praise from US President Donald Trump but was widely viewed as corrupt.

Lawmakers from Magyar's Tisza party held a half-minute-long standing ovation after voting 139 to six to eject Sulyok from office.

"With this, we have... completed the constitutional reform of the Orban regime," Magyar said after the amendment passed.

All eyes are on whether Sulyok will attempt to stall his departure by refusing to sign the amendment, potentially sparking a constitutional crisis.

"He now has five days to either resign within the specified deadline or sign this amendment," Magyar said. "There is no other option."

On Monday, Sulyok accused Magyar of making "false statements to manipulate public opinion",

Orban's Fidesz party boycotted Monday's parliamentary session, denouncing Magyar's 12-point amendment as "autocratic" -- a charge often levelled against the former leader during his tenure.

"Today they're targeting the president, but tomorrow they could do the same to anyone," Orban, who had left Hungary to watch the FIFA World Cup in the United States in the run-up to the vote, posted on Facebook.

Some rights watchdogs have also criticised the changes.

Amnesty International said Sulyok was "entitled to due process", while Human Rights Watch said the tinkering was "reminiscent of (the) Fidesz era".

As his Tisza party enjoys a two-thirds majority in parliament, Magyar did not need the opposition's support to rewrite the constitution.

- 67 percent want Sulyok gone -

Since winning the election, Magyar has repeatedly called on Sulyok to resign, branding the 70-year-old unworthy of the post.

If the president fails to sign the amendment within five days, Magyar said Tisza would initiate impeachment proceedings in parliament.

While Hungary's president has mainly ceremonial powers, Sulyok can veto laws or send them to the constitutional court for review -- but not block a constitutional amendment.

According to a May poll by the 21 Research Center, 67 percent of Hungarian voters want him out.

Jurist Andras Baka, a former head of Hungary's supreme court, told AFP that Magyar's methods would be justified if they led to a new constitutional order.

"In a country governed by the rule of law such extraordinary measures cannot be used, but Hungary became a captured state under Orban," said Baka, whose mandate was cut short in 2011 with a similar legislative act after he expressed concerns about Fidesz's judicial reforms.

After the vote passed on Monday, Magyar repeated his promise of a whole new constitution following a country-wide consultation that "if possible, involves all Hungarians".

The amendment also imposes a 12-year or three-term limit on lawmakers, which would prevent several prominent opposition politicians from running for re-election.

Fidesz lawmaker Gergely Gulyas resigned as party leader in parliament in protest, as under the new rules he could not stand in 2030.

The amendment also calls for a National Asset Recovery and Protection Office, granting it sweeping powers to combat corruption -- which watchdogs saw as endemic under Magyar's predecessor.

(T.Brown--TAG)