The Hungarian parliament approved a constitutional amendment limiting a prime minister's term in office to a maximum of eight years. The measure effectively bars former premier Viktor Orbán from returning to power.
Orbán led Hungary for sixteen consecutive years before Prime Minister Péter Magyar's Tisza party won a super-majority in April's election. The new law applies retroactively, preventing any leader since 1990 from serving more than two terms, regardless of interval.
Beyond the term limit, the amendment dismantles key structures of the previous Fidesz government. Parliament voted to abolish the Sovereignty Protection Office, an agency created in 2023 to monitor foreign interference, and target public trust foundations holding significant state assets.
The legislative overhaul also paves the way for the European Commission to release €16.4 billion in frozen funds. The EU had withheld the money due to longstanding concerns over corruption, rule of law, and democratic decline, which saw Transparency International label Hungary the bloc's most corrupt member for four consecutive years.
The reforms will also reallocate assets from entities like the Mathias Corvinus Collegium, which maintains close ties to Fidesz, and strengthen the Integrity Authority, the national anti-corruption watchdog.