• Hungarian lawmakers voted to limit prime ministerial terms to a maximum of eight years.
• The amendment aims to prevent former PM Viktor Orban from returning to power.
• New PM Peter Magyar promised reforms as part of a campaign for change.
• The amendment received overwhelming parliamentary support despite opposition.
• A move to disband the controversial Sovereignty Protection Office is also underway.

On June 15, Hungarian lawmakers approved a constitutional amendment that limits prime ministerial terms to a maximum of eight years, effectively blocking former Prime Minister Viktor Orban from a potential return to power. This legislative change was a key campaign promise of the newly elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who ousted Orban after 16 years of dominance in April elections, ensuring a pro-EU political shift in Hungary, according to Le Monde, South China Morning Post, and Al Jazeera.

The amendment passed with a vote tally of 135 in favor, 50 against, and six abstentions, utilizing a two-thirds supermajority framework under Hungarian law that allows such measures without a referendum. Magyar argued that limiting terms is essential to prevent a concentration of power, referencing Orban's historical influence and legislative manipulations designed to sustain his authority. This semi-constitutional reform is the 16th change to Hungary's Basic Law since its adoption in 2011, according to South China Morning Post and Al Jazeera.

In addition to the term limit amendment, the Hungarian parliament is also moving to disband the Sovereignty Protection Office, which was heavily criticized for targeting dissenting media and NGOs. The office was established in 2024 under Orban and accused critics of being foreign agents. The current government intends to implement reforms that include both the disbandment of this agency and the removal of provisions that maintain its oversight role in protecting Hungary's "constitutional identity," aiming to restore democratic integrity in governance, according to Le Monde, South China Morning Post, and Al Jazeera.