New rules for parliament
Hungary: MPs should retire after twelve years
Updated July 4, 2026 – 6:21 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Hungary’s new head of government plans to limit parliamentary mandates to twelve years. The regulation will only apply from the 2030 election – the current parliament will remain unaffected.
Hungary wants to limit the length of service as a member of parliament to twelve years in the future. Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced this on Facebook. The new regulation is therefore part of a package of constitutional changes that he introduced into parliament.
In mid-June, Magyar’s bourgeois Tisza party, with its two-thirds majority in parliament, passed a constitutional amendment that limits the prime minister’s term of office to eight years. It prevents the right-wing populist who was voted out in April Viktor Orban can become head of government again. He ruled from 1998 to 2002 and from 2010 until he was voted out. But Magyar can also only be re-elected once at most.
Magyar had already announced two weeks ago that his term as a member of parliament would be limited to twelve years. Unlike limiting the prime minister’s term, this was not part of his election promises. It was received critically by parts of the public. Magyar, however, said there was also strong support. Tens of thousands have made comments, comments and suggestions for improvement online.
Current parliament not affected
Magyar added that the time limit on the role of MPs will come into force with the next parliamentary election, which is scheduled for 2030. The current parliament is not affected by this. However, the new regulation would prevent Orban, now 63, from running for parliament in four years. He has been a member of parliament continuously from 1990 until now. However, he did not take up the mandate that he won as the top candidate of his Fidesz party in the April election.
The constitutional package that parliament could decide on in the coming weeks also provides for the removal of President Tamas Sulyok, who was appointed by Orban. Age and mandate limits for constitutional judges and Supreme Court judges are also intended to enable these bodies to be rejuvenated and more objective. They are currently packed with Orban loyalists.
