The Hungarian parliament recently passed constitutional amendments aimed at preventing former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from being re-elected.
This week, the newly elected Prime Minister Péter Magyar seems to have consolidated his power in Budapest, with the parliament voting 135-50 to introduce an eight-year term limit for prime ministers.
Crucially, these amendments are set to be applied retroactively, meaning that anyone who has served as Prime Minister for more than eight years will be barred from running for the position again in the future.
Critics have noted that this effectively targets Orbán, the only former prime minister this applies to, suggesting that the Magyars are trying to eliminate their political rivals.
Viktor Orbán previously held the office twice, from 1998 to 2002, and was opposition leader until 2010, after which he regained power and remained in office until his party lost the election to Magyar’s Tisza party this past May.
When asked on Monday about the new amendments, Orbán replied, somewhat sarcastically: “It doesn’t concern me. It’s about me.”
Gergely Gulyas, a leader in Orbán’s Fidesz party, expressed concerns about the amendments, stating that the creation of a personalized, retroactive law is a significant low point in Hungary’s post-communist history.
András László, a Hungarian Member of the European Parliament, commented that instead of advocating for democracy through debate and gaining public support, liberals are employing legal tactics to eliminate potential challengers. He cites similar actions against conservatives in multiple European countries.
A Fidesz representative added, “We’ve held power in Hungary for 16 years with a supermajority and never prohibited our opponents from running. Tisza has done so just weeks after winning.”
Beyond blocking Orbán’s future candidacy, the Magyar administration has also indicated plans to target allies of the former prime minister legally, establishing a commission to investigate allegations against Orbán’s former government officials.
While this might look like a move to eliminate rivals, it also seems that the Magyar government could be motivated by the potential release of a significant coronavirus relief fund from Brussels, which had been frozen due to objections to Orbán’s conservative policies.
