The draft amendment was tabled on Wednesday, just over a week after the new government took office. With this, Magyar and his Tisza Party took the first step towards dismantling the constitution, which was unilaterally rewritten and amended more than ten times during the rule of Orbán and his Fidesz party.
During more than two years of campaigning, Magyar repeatedly promised to introduce term limits, describing them as part of a broader effort to restore the country’s democratic checks and balances, the Guardian writes.
After his party’s landslide victory in last month’s election, analysts were quick to warn that the new government faces a difficult task of rebuilding collapsed public services and a stagnant economy, made even more difficult by the fact that many Fidesz loyalists still wield influence in state institutions, the media and the judiciary.
The proposed amendment acts as an attempt to prevent Orbán from using the situation for a political comeback, stating that term limits are “key” to restoring the rule of law.
– A person who held the office of prime minister for a total of at least eight years, including any interruptions, cannot be elected prime minister – the proposal states.
This reckoning would apply to all prime ministerial mandates since the country’s democratization in 1990, which means that Orbán, who has served five prime ministerial mandates since 1998, spending a total of 20 years in power, would be prevented from running again.
However, the amendment is not a completely foolproof mechanism, as any future leader with a two-thirds majority or a supermajority could propose an amendment to extend his own stay in power.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
Chat readers
Join the discussion