Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has dismissed the heads of Hungary’s four main national security services, marking the latest—and one of the most significant—steps in his government’s effort to dismantle what it describes as a ‘patronage network embedded in the state apparatus’ during former prime minister Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.
According to decrees published in the official gazette on Friday evening, the appointments of Szabolcs Bárdos, head of the Constitution Protection Office; Krisztián Oláh, head of the Intelligence Office (IO); Csaba Kiss, head of the Special Service for National Security; and Norbert Tajti, head of the Military National Security Service, will end on Saturday. The government has not yet announced their successors.
The only major intelligence agency unaffected by the reshuffle is the National Information Centre (NIK), whose leadership remains unchanged.
The dismissals come amid a broader effort by the Tisza government to overhaul state institutions and replace senior officials appointed under the Orbán governments. Since taking office following its landslide election victory in April, Magyar has repeatedly described his mandate as a ‘regime change’ rather than a simple change of government, arguing that key state institutions remain staffed by officials loyal to Viktor Orbán.
As part of this effort, Magyar has repeatedly called on President Tamás Sulyok and other public office-holders to resign, arguing that the head of state can no longer act as a neutral constitutional arbiter after years of close association with the Fidesz leadership. Sulyok has rejected the calls and insisted that he will remain in office, arguing that his removal would undermine the rule of law.
Fidesz has accused the government of targeting officials with legally protected mandates as part of its broader ‘regime change’ agenda. The party has voiced similar criticism of the government’s attempts to remove President Sulyok, arguing that such positions are intended to provide institutional continuity beyond electoral cycles. Fidesz has previously described Magyar’s demand for Sulyok’s resignation as an ‘unlawful ultimatum’ and insisted that the president must be allowed to serve out his mandate.
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