In a display of raw political force, Hungary’s new government has moved to dismantle the existing state apparatus, voting to remove President Tamás Sulyok and the head of the Constitutional Court, Péter Polt.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s Tisza party utilized its two-thirds parliamentary majority to pass the 17th amendment to the constitution, a sweeping package of laws that effectively serves as a political purge.
The amendment grants the government broad authority to dismiss public officials and mandates the removal of Constitutional Court judges over the age of 70. Furthermore, the legislation imposes term limits that will disqualify more than half of the current Fidesz deputies from future service.
Fidesz lawmakers, who were ousted from power in April after 16 years, walked out of the chamber in protest, labeling the move as the construction of a new tyranny.
While the new government claims these measures are necessary to dismantle the influence of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, critics of the legislation—including some who oppose Fidesz—have noted that the amendment’s restrictions on parliamentary candidates infringe upon the public's right to choose their representatives.
As the Tisza party celebrates its consolidation of control, the Fidesz party remains in disarray, with Orbán absent from parliament and high-ranking party members resigning amid the fallout of their electoral defeat.
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