Fidesz parliamentary group leader resigns his post

The proposed constitutional amendment is an unprecedented overstep; this is true of its elements individually, and even more so of them altogether. “Its adoption would mean that going forward, at least half of all opposition parties' factions...would be excluded from democratic political competition,” Gergely Gulyás, leader of Fidesz's parliamentary group said on Monday at a press conference held ahead of the vote on the 17th constitutional amendment.

Based on the 12-year term limit proposed in the amendment, half of the Mi Hazánk faction, nearly two-thirds of the Fidesz faction, and three-quarters of the KDNP (Christian Democratic People's Party) faction will be barred from running in elections again.

"In addition, the removal of the president is without precedent, as is the aggressive attitude we have recently witnessed. (…) This is why we are protesting; we are protesting by not participating in today’s session of Parliament," instead, the faction will lay a wreath at József Antall’s grave, “which serves as a reminder that what the Tisza Party often refers to is the exact opposite of what the new two-thirds majority represents today,” he continued.

​​According to Gulyás, the present situation calls for the strongest protest possible, and this includes drawing personal conclusions.

“The biggest opposition group cannot have a leader who, due to constitutional restrictions, cannot run in the next election. This is why I have decided to resign from my position as faction leader, and I will request that the faction's work be led by someone who will be eligible to run in elections even after 2030,” said Gergely Gulyás.

According to Fidesz’s outgoing parliamentary group leader, there have been accusations leveled against them in the past about undermining democracy: “If one looks at the text of these amendments, it is clear that we have never even attempted to take any (…) steps that would curtail democracy,” and the KDNP also considers what has happened to be unacceptable,” Gulyás stated.

“We will not be mere extras in Péter Magyar’s absolute cinema, wherein he is ismantling the democratic institutional system,” said Bence Rétvári, the KDNP’s group leader at the press conference.

In his view, the amendment to the Fundamental Law the Tisza Party will adopt on Monday is intended to instill fear. Both Fidesz and KDNP representatives wore black for the event, because they consider this a day of mourning—a day of mourning Hungarian democracy. According to Rétvári, “it is clear that [Péter Magyar—ed.] is eliminating anyone who does not support his personal vision.” Bence Rétvári emphasized that it is unprecedented in Europe to remove the president of a republic with a single-sentence amendment. “That is why today is a day of mourning; that is why this is not an ordinary day, (…) because this is a day for mourning Hungarian democracy,” he noted.

“If they can push this through in eight days, then they can do this to any Hungarian citizen,” Rétvári said, who believes that the powers of the National Office for the Recovery and Protection of State Assets (which would also be established by the 17th amendment) also serve to instil fear in both politicians and ordinary people.

The KDNP's parliamentary faction also convened, and unanimously decided that they do not wish to protest by replacing their faction leader, Rétvári said, adding: “We will continue to protest against every decision of this kind as loudly as possible. This is a dark day for Hungarian democracy,” he said again.

Gulyás received a question about Péter Magyar's claim made in his speech today according to which Gergely Gulyás had suggested that the faction members should resign their mandates in protest. Gulyás said that this was untrue and that the faction had not voted on it. Many things were discussed, but “the faction did not vote on anything like that.”

In his view, there are several other suitable candidates for the position of faction leader within the group, and the decision on this will be made next week; until then, he does not wish to name any names.

“Until there is a new leader, I will, of course, continue to perform my duties", replied Gulyás, who had originally agreed to lead the group for one year. He ended up doing so for just about two months. In response to a question, he also said that there was no vote on whether he should stay on as group leader; he had made the decision on his own. Their boycott is just for one day.

The question also arose as to how seriously their protest could be taken, given that the president of Fidesz was on his way to the World Cup semifinals and finals, to which the outgoing parliamentary group leader replied that Viktor Orbán's schedule been arranged beforehand. “It’s not set in stone anywhere that the party's president can’t travel anywhere on a day like this,” he added.

According to Gergely Gulyás, every legal remedy available must be pursued, particularly given the restriction on the right to vote which the amendment would introduce in their opinion. The outgoing Fidesz parliamentary group leader also posted about his resignation on Facebook.

He wrote: “Over the past 16 years, we have been accused of dismantling democracy and the rule of law, but we have never even attempted anything of the sort.

With this amendment, I am being barred from representing the Hungarian people. I am no longer eligible for being elected as a member of Parliament. (…) This amendment does not merely undermine the democratic rule of law—it signals its end. I do not wish to be complicit in this, which is why I am resigning from my position as parliamentary group leader. I am not only doing this because the biggest opposition group in Parliament needs a leader who can run in the next election, but also because we cannot act as if nothing was happening".

Although Gulyás’s resignation was unexpected, the absence of the Fidesz and KDNP parliamentary groups at the Parliament's session was not. Fidesz MP Miklós Panyi announced in Parliament last Tuesday at the end of the general debate on the 17th constitutional amendment that the Fidesz and KDNP parliamentary groups “will not participate in the dismantling of democracy,” and will therefore not be present for either the detailed debate or the vote.

Fidesz also organised a protest against the amendment under the slogan “Stop the tyranny!” last week.

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). The last time Fidesz had boycotted parliamentary proceedings prior to this was before 2010, when they demanded the resignation of Ferenc Gyurcsány, who was then prime minister.

On Monday morning, Péter Magyar wrote on Facebook that, in his opinion, “around last Wednesday, Fidesz sprang into action and prohibited the President from signing the constitutional amendment, “(…) thereby violating the Constitution.” Under the leadership of Gergely Gulyás, Fidesz preemptively drafted the petition to the Constitutional Court that the President would be required to file, thereby preventing the amendment from taking effect and thus thwarting the dismantling of the Orbán mafia. Orbán's old servant, Péter Polt is in position at the Constitutional Court, awaiting the “presidential” petition drafted by Fidesz so he can shelve the matter—perhaps forever.”

Fidesz's group leader Gergely Gulyás was quick to respond to Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s remarks. On Facebook, he wrote: “Even when he’s well-rested, the Prime Minister is incapable of telling the truth. All of his claims about me and Fidesz's parliamentary group relating to the constitutional amendment are false. While today, the Tisza is preparing for the most shameful parliamentary decision of the past 36 years, the Prime Minister is leveling baseless accusations against those whom he is currently trying to eliminate from democratic competition using public law as an instrument.”

President Sulyok: The Prime Minister's claims are unacceptable

President Tamás Sulyok “considers the incumbent prime minister’s false claims about the exercising of the powers of the head of state with regard to the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law to be unacceptable and rejects them”—as stated in the Sándor Palace’s press release.

“These statements are obviously intended to manipulate public opinion and exert pressure on the President’s autonomous decision with regard to initiating a constitutional review of the amendment to the Fundamental Law.” The Head of State emphasises that any attempt by representatives of the executive branch to interfere with the President’s authority through false manipulation, threats, or any other means constitutes a flagrant violation of the constitutional order.”