Hungary is preparing major constitutional changes
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has submitted a draft of sweeping constitutional amendments to parliament. The document calls for term limits for members of parliament, reform of the judicial system, the early termination of the current president’s term, and a number of other important changes.
According to the head of government, this is the first time in the last 36 years that constitutional amendments are being proposed following consultations with citizens. He called the reform a step toward a more democratic and just state.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar submitted a bill to parliament proposing amendments to the country’s Constitution. He announced this on July 4. According to Magyar, the proposed package of changes covers several key areas of public administration at once. These include the workings of parliament, the judicial system, and the Constitutional Court, as well as changes to the country’s administrative structure.
One of the main changes will be a limit on the length of time members of parliament can serve. If the law is passed, an individual will be able to serve as a member of parliament for no more than three terms, or a total of 12 years. Another important provision of the document concerns Hungarian President Tamás Szujok. The draft bill provides for the early termination of his term of office.
The government is also proposing to reform the Constitutional Court. Specifically, the plan is to strengthen its independence, reduce the maximum term of office for judges from 12 to 9 years, and set an age limit of 70 for judges. In addition, the bill calls for strengthening the system of judicial self-governance. The government believes this will make the judicial system more independent and transparent.
A separate provision calls for the creation of a National Office for Asset Recovery and Protection. The new agency is expected to handle matters related to the recovery and protection of state property.
It is also proposed to restore the previous names of the country’s administrative units. If lawmakers support the changes, the traditional term “megye” will be used again instead of the historical term “vármegye,” which was reinstated in 2023. Péter Magyar stated that this reform package is set to be historic. “We are convinced that the current amendments are a major step forward toward a functional and ‘people-centered’ Hungary,” said the prime minister.
He also emphasized that all the proposed changes share a common goal. “Every item submitted to Parliament today has the same goal—to ensure that no one can ever again hold the Hungarian state hostage,” Magyar declared.
Separately, the head of government explained his position regarding incumbent President Tamás Szujók. According to the prime minister, he does not see any possibility of carrying out a comprehensive overhaul of the state system while the president remains in office. “A new president will be elected by the Hungarian parliament for a term of up to five years, until the constitutional process is completed, and this election is expected this summer,” Magyar said.
As a reminder, following the “Tisa” party’s victory in the parliamentary elections, Péter Magyar had already called on Tamás Szujok to voluntarily step down. However, the president refused to leave office.
Now, the fate of the proposed changes will be decided by parliament. If lawmakers support the bill, Hungary could see one of the most sweeping constitutional revisions in recent decades. At the same time, the government emphasizes that it plans to consult with citizens before the document is finally adopted, calling this approach unprecedented in the country’s modern history. This was reported by Index.
Hungary is temporarily shifting public sector employees to remote work due to an extreme heat wave, which is forecast to be the most intense in the history of weather records.
