Today’s ruling by the “beheaded and intimidated” Constitutional Court opens the door to further steps toward tyranny, the Fidesz parliamentary faction said in response to the Constitutional Court’s rejection of the joint petition filed by Fidesz and KDNP seeking the annulment of the 16th and 17th amendments to the Basic Law.

In a statement titled “Tyranny Is Being Built Brick by Brick,” the opposition party wrote that if the president of the republic can be removed through legislation tailored to a specific individual, then in today’s Hungary, the Tisza majority can do anything to anyone.

“Fidesz will continue its peaceful and lawful resistance to tyranny and will make use of every available means, both inside and outside parliament,” the statement read.

Fidesz and KDNP challenged certain provisions of the 16th and 17th amendments to the Basic Law through a post-enactment norm-control procedure. The opposition alliance requested the annulment of the provision that terminated Tamás Sulyok’s mandate as president of the republic with immediate effect.

They also initiated the annulment of the amendment introducing a time limit on the eligibility of members of parliament to stand for election, which stipulates that a person who has already served as a member of parliament for at least twelve years or through three terms may not obtain a parliamentary mandate.

The opposition alliance also challenged the Basic Law amendment relating to Constitutional Court justices, which reinstated the upper age limit of seventy years for judges.

The Constitutional Court announced on 14 August that it had rejected the petition submitted by Fidesz and the KDNP, in which the party had requested the annulment of the article concerning public-interest asset management foundations performing public duties, contained in the 16th amendment to the Basic Law.

Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.