Fidesz to boycott debate and vote on constitutional amendment

“Péter Magyar has decided to remove the President of the Republic, dismantle the Constitutional Court, dismantle the Supreme Court, and get rid of his political opponents as well. He is setting up this ÁVH which can investigate anything and anyone based on very vague legal grounds. It is also a fact that this amendment to the Fundamental Law is unprecedented across the entire European Union, unprecedented in Hungary’s post-regime-change history, and an unprecedented attack on the rule of law and democracy. By doing so, they are violating international legal principles and international conventions,” Miklós Panyi Fidesz MP said on Tuesday at the end of the general debate on the 17th constitutional amendment in the Hungarian Parliament, according to a report by 444.hu.

Panyi also announced that the factions of Fidesz and the Christian Democrats (KDNP, Fidesz's longtime coalition partner) “will not participate in the dismantling of democracy,” and will therefore not be present for either the detailed debate or the vote.

The 17th constitutional amendment, submitted by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, would, among other things,

• introduce a 12-year term limit for serving as a member of Parliament;
• establish the National Agency for the Recovery and Protection of State Assets;
• end the term of President Tamás Sulyok and allow for the election of a new president;
• and reinstate the retirement age of 70 at the Constitutional Court, which would also end the tenure of the court's president, Péter Polt (who was appointed by the Orbán administration).

Since the Tisza faction alone accounts for more than two-thirds of the seats in Parliament, they can pass the constitutional amendment even without Fidesz (and the KDNP). Prior to this, Fidesz had boycotted parliamentary proceedings before 2010, when they demanded the resignation of Ferenc Gyurcsány, who was then prime minister.

The draft of the 17th constitutional amendment has not only been criticized by the opposition parties, but NGOs as well, including the Hungarian Helsinki Committee.