Published on 6/16/2026
Yesterday, Monday, Hungarian representatives voted overwhelmingly to limit the term of the Prime Minister to eight years, through a constitutional amendment aimed at preventing Viktor Orban from returning to the position he ruled for 16 years.
This amendment comes in fulfillment of one of the election campaign promises of Peter Magar, the pro-European conservative who ousted Orban in the elections last April, pledging to implement radical reforms.
Magar stressed that unlimited terms could lead to misrule, referring to his predecessor Orbán, who was making changes to the political system to tighten his grip on power.
On the other hand, Orban’s party opposed limiting the term of office, indicating that this measure constitutes an infringement on the popular will.
The amendment received support in Parliament after the “TISA” party led by Madiar emerged, with 135 deputies voting in support of the resolution, 50 deputies opposing it, while 6 deputies abstained from voting.
In Hungary, such laws are only passed through the necessary parliamentary majority without the need to organize a popular referendum.
Orban – who was elected president of the Fidesz party he leads at the weekend – commented in a Facebook post, saying, “A law has been passed against Orban. This was the most urgent case.”
Some countries usually impose a ceiling on the number of presidential terms. In Hungary, the term of the country’s president – whose role is largely symbolic – is limited to a maximum of two terms, each lasting five years.
This constitutional amendment does not prevent Orban’s return to power permanently and categorically, as it could be canceled in the future through a new constitutional amendment.
This step marks the sixteenth time that Hungary’s Basic Law (Constitution) has been amended since its adoption in 2011.
For more than a decade and a half, Orban was one of the most prominent opposition voices within the European Union, and maintained close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, making him a fulcrum for more flexible policies towards Moscow.
He also received explicit support from US President Donald Trump, an indication of the convergence of interests and trends of the populist movement in the region.
Over the 16 years of his rule, Orban represented one of the most prominent symbols of skeptical nationalism in the European Union, as he formulated a model of what is known as “illiberal democracy,” which resonated with right-wing and populist movements in the West, especially the MAGA movement, which is embraced by Trump’s supporters.
