File photo of Manfred Weber (left) and Péter Magyar (right)

“Péter Magyar received a clear mandate from the Hungarian people in a democratic election to change the country, and that is exactly what he is doing,” said Manfred Weber, chairman of the European People’s Party (EPP), on Tuesday in Strasbourg.

At a press conference, the German politician responded to a journalist’s question about whether he considered the plans for constitutional reform initiated by the Hungarian prime minister to be democratic—plans that would immediately remove the head of state and the president of the Constitutional Court from office and limit the prime minister’s term to eight years and the term of National Assembly members to twelve years. In his response, Manfred Weber said that Péter Magyar had received a clear mandate from the Hungarian people in a democratic election to change the country, and he was now implementing that mandate.

He added that he fully supported the Hungarian prime minister, whom he described as a strong and independent leader of an important European country. “Hungary is a proud and important country in Europe, which is why I fully support his efforts to fulfill all the promises he has made to the Hungarian people,” said the EPP president.

FIDESZ considers the 17th constitutional amendment unacceptable and will therefore not participate in next week’s vote,

Világgazdaság reported.

Miklós Panyi. Photo: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka

“Péter Magyar has decided to remove the president from office and strip the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, and his political opponents of their powers. He is establishing this agency, which, citing extremely vague legal grounds, can investigate anything and anyone. It is also a fact that this amendment to the Fundamental Law is unprecedented throughout the European Union and in Hungary’s history since the political transition, and constitutes an unprecedented attack on the rule of law and democracy. This violates international legal principles and international agreements,” stated Miklós Panyi, a FIDESZ member of parliament, during the general debate in parliament on the 17th amendment to the Fundamental Law.

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Via MTI, Világgazdaság; Featured photo: Facebook/Manfred Weber