Story perspectives

PM Magyar invites Judit Polgar to serve as president

7/20/2026

Summary

Magyar Seeks Polgar

Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced July 19 he will ask Judit Polgar to be president, meeting her to request she serve until a new constitution passes.
The request follows President Tamas Sulyok’s amendment that ends his term and gives Magyar’s Tisza party a majority.
Polgar, 49, topped world chess rankings, became the youngest grandmaster at 15, appears in the 2026 Netflix documentary “Queen of Chess,” and has not replied to Reuters.

Summary

Sulyok signs amendment

President Tamás Sulyok signed the 17th amendment on July 18, ending his term on July 20 and giving Parliament 30 days to elect a successor.
The amendment limits MPs to 12 years and forces Constitutional Court judges to retire at 70, prompting President of the Court Péter Polt to step down.
Fidesz called the reform “open tyranny” and warned of arbitrary removals.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the changes will recover assets and curb power post-Orbán.

History

Historical Context

The 1990 Constitution created a largely ceremonial presidency, with the president nominally commander-in-chief but holding limited powers. After Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP government eroded democratic standards since 2010, the April 2026 election gave Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party a two-thirds supermajority, and he pledged constitutional reforms to restore those 1990 safeguards, a move watched closely by the EU for democratic backsliding.

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Magyar Seeks Polgar

Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced July 19 he will ask Judit Polgar to be president, meeting her to request she serve until a new constitution passes.
The request follows President Tamas Sulyok’s amendment that ends his term and gives Magyar’s Tisza party a majority.
Polgar, 49, topped world chess rankings, became the youngest grandmaster at 15, appears in the 2026 Netflix documentary “Queen of Chess,” and has not replied to Reuters.

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