Tamás Sulyok made the announcement on his Facebook page on Wednesday morning following a meeting with Magyar, the leader of the Tisza party, which swept to a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, and other party heads. Magyar will replace Viktor Orbán, the outgoing prime minister and leader of the Fidesz party, who has been in power for 16 years. Sulyok wrote that in accordance with his duties set by the constitution he would “officially nominate” Magyar as the next prime minister at the next session of parliament. Magyar also confirmed the decision after the meeting saying: “The President has informed me that he will ask me at the inaugural session of the new parliament to be prime minister and form a government, as the leader of the party that got the most votes.” Sulyok is also expected to soon announce the date of the first session of the new parliament. Under the Hungarian constitution he must convene the inaugural session within 30 days of the election. The nominated prime minister must then present their government’s program to parliament and secure its approval. Given that Tisza has 138 seats in the 199-seat Hungarian parliament following its landslide win, it should have no problem getting the majority vote needed. The 45-year-old Magyar has said that he wants to be in office by May 5. President must ‘leave office’ Despite the nomination, Magyar lashed out at the president just after the meeting had concluded. The Tisza leader has often criticized Sulyok owing to his links to the outgoing Fidesz party. Sulyok was elected as president by a Fidesz-dominated parliament in February 2024. In a social media post on X, Magyar said that the president was “unworthy of representing the unity of the Hungarian nation.” “He is unfit to serve as the guardian of legality. He is not fit to serve as a moral authority or a role model. Following the formation of the new government, Tamás Sulyok must leave office immediately.”
