Hungary’s political conflict over planned constitutional changes is intensifying. Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party are mobilising supporters to protest against reforms proposed by Peter Magyar’s government. The prime minister has responded with sharp irony, comparing the former ruling party’s actions to “a thief calling the police”.

The Hungarian opposition has announced a demonstration outside Sandor Palace in Budapest, the official residence of the country’s president. The protest is directed against constitutional amendments proposed by the governing TISZA party, which could pave the way for the removal of current President Tamas Sulyok.

Politicians from Fidesz and the Christian Democratic People’s Party have called on citizens to join the demonstration. Gergely Gulyas, the former head of Viktor Orban’s Prime Minister’s Office, argued that all citizens who value democracy, the rule of law and the protection of Hungary’s constitutional order should take part.

Gulyas described the government’s plans as a “scandal” and “an attempt to establish an authoritarian system that has so far been alien to Hungarian democracy”. The opposition is also considering further parliamentary action, including a possible boycott of plenary sessions.

Orban: TISZA Has Crossed Every Line

Viktor Orban has personally joined the political mobilisation. The former Hungarian prime minister said the governing TISZA party had “crossed every line – human, moral and constitutional”.

Orban urged his supporters to turn out in large numbers for the protest. For Fidesz, the dispute over the future of the presidency is becoming one of the central elements of its political confrontation with the new government.

Peter Magyar’s reaction was immediate and exceptionally sharp.

Writing on social media, the prime minister said that news of Fidesz planning to protest in defence of democracy and constitutionalism had “caused laughter that could be heard all the way in Istanbul”.

Magyar compared Orban and his allies’ actions to a situation in which “a thief calls the police”.

Government Seeks to Remove the President

The dispute centres on Peter Magyar’s plans concerning the position of Hungary’s head of state. In late June, the prime minister announced that his government would begin a process aimed at removing Tamas Sulyok from office.

The government intends to amend the constitution to make this possible. Magyar has declared that Hungary should have a new president by August 20, 2026. A broader constitutional reform is then expected to begin in the autumn.

The announcement is particularly controversial because Sulyok’s term formally runs until March 2029. The current president was elected with the support of Fidesz and Christian Democratic MPs.

Hungary’s constitution allows for the removal of a president in certain circumstances, including violations of the constitution, deliberate breaches of laws connected with the exercise of presidential duties or the commission of a criminal offence.

The Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe, is also following the issue. Peter Magyar and Tamas Sulyok recently met its representatives in Budapest. The talks focused on proposed legal changes that could allow the removal of the president and other senior state officials.

TISZA Holds a Constitutional Majority

The balance of power in the Hungarian parliament is crucial to the dispute. TISZA controls 141 seats in the 199-member National Assembly, giving Peter Magyar’s party the majority needed to push through constitutional amendments.

Fidesz therefore finds itself in an entirely new political situation. Viktor Orban’s party, which for years was itself accused by opponents of subordinating state institutions and reshaping Hungary’s political system, is now presenting itself as a defender of constitutional limits on government power.

Peter Magyar is openly exploiting this apparent contradiction. However, the fierce dispute over the future of the presidency shows that political change in Hungary has not ended the struggle over the shape of the state.

On the contrary, with constitutional reforms now on the political agenda, Hungarian politics is entering a new phase of confrontation.