Hungary: filling the Constitutional Court after the 17th amendment
Tisza is filling the vacant Constitutional Court seats with its two-thirds majority (141/199). Amnesty criticises the speed of the procedure and the fact that the mechanism of one-sided appointment survived the reform. Fidesz is boycotting the vote while challenging the 17th amendment before that same court. Being tracked: who fills the court and how it rules on the disputed amendments and on the law to draw down EU funds. Updated Aug 17: the court is considering three points of the 17th amendment (Sulyok, the 12-year limit for MPs, the judges' age limit); Thursday's nine-hour session ended without a decision.
The article that started it
Maďarsko volí ústavného sudcu za jeden deň. Amnesty vyčíta Magyarovej vláde rovnaký jednostranný postup, aký kritizovala u Orbána
Parlament má v pondelok obsadiť miesto na Ústavnom súde za jediný deň, hoci zákon dáva 60 dní. Amnesty hovorí o rovnakej jednostrannej voľbe ako za…
What we are still watching
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The Constitutional Court's verdict on the law to draw down EU funds (more than 5,900 billion forints) before the end of August 2026
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The Venice Commission's opinion and the European Commission's response to the 16th and 17th amendments to Hungary's constitution
What has happened
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Parliament elected Pál Sonnevend as a constitutional judge on July 27 — and whether he accepted the nomination after Tuzson's open letter Potvrdené cez freemalaysiatoday.com/hungarianconservative.com 27.7.2026: parlament zvolil Pála Sonnevenda (kandidát Tisza) hlasmi 138:6, nahradil Csabu Hendeho. Fidesz/KDNP bojkotovali hlasovanie. Nezachytené v RSS. 29.7.2026
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The Constitutional Court's ruling on Fidesz's constitutional complaint and norm review against the 17th amendment — and in what composition ÚS 17.8.2026 zamietol všetky podnety Fideszu a KDNP proti 17. novele ústavy (zánik funkcie prezidenta Sulyoka, 12-ročný limit mandátu, veková hranica 70 r. pre sudcov). Argument: novely ústavy smie preskúmavať len procesne, nie obsahovo. Zdroj TASR/telex.hu. → Maďarský Ústavný súd zamietol podnety Fideszu k novele ústavy 17.8.2026
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The departure of president Péter Polt and judges Haszonicsné Ádám, Juhász and Lomnczi over the age limit of 70 — without objection, or with a legal challenge? Napadli právne: Fidesz a KDNP podali následnú kontrolu normy proti vekovej hranici, ÚS ju prerokúva 17.8. Odchádzajú štyria k 1.9. — Polt, Haszonicsné Ádámová, Juhász, Lomnici. → Maďarský Ústavný súd rieši koniec mandátu prezidenta Sulyoka. Fidesz naráža na pravidlo, ktoré si sám napísal 17.8.2026
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The Constitutional Court's verdict on the 17th amendment — on August 17, 2026 the court rejected ALL submissions by Fidesz and KDNP, including on the constitutionality of ending President Sulyok's term, the 12-year limit on MPs' mandates and the age limit of 70 for constitutional judges TASR/telex.hu, 17.8.2026. Odvolanie Sulyoka je ústavne potvrdené — Fideszu nezostáva vnútroštátna právna cesta, ďalší krok je Benátska komisia (indikátor 982). → Maďarský Ústavný súd zamietol podnety Fideszu k novele ústavy 17.8.2026
