Hungary’s former prime minister Viktor Orbán has declared a peaceful “resistance” movement against the new centre-right government, as the country’s prosecutor general, Gábor Bálint Nagy, announced his resignation effective 25 August. The twin developments mark an escalation in the political confrontation between the ousted Fidesz party and the administration of Prime Minister Péter Magyar, which commands a constitutional supermajority following its landslide election victory in April.

Orbán, in a statement and subsequent press conference, said a constitutional amendment passed by parliament last week had “dismantled the rule of law and eliminated the system of checks and balances.” The amendment ended the term of President Tamás Sulyok, an Orbán ally, and introduced a 12-year retroactive term limit for MPs, which Fidesz says will bar roughly half its lawmakers from standing in the next election. Orbán described the new political system as “tyranny” and pledged that Fidesz would use “every peaceful means” to resist what it calls an illegitimate exercise of power. The party’s “Declaration of Resistance” also promised to assist “victims of the authoritarian regime” and document legal violations.

The Magyar government, which holds 60 percent public support according to a June Medián poll, frames its actions as a fulfilment of campaign pledges to dismantle what it terms the “mafia” network built during Orbán’s 16-year rule. Tisza officials argue that the constitutional changes, the suspension of public television news—described as a “propaganda factory”—and the closure of the Sovereignty Protection Office are necessary to restore the rule of law and combat systemic corruption. The government has also called for the resignation of Orbán-era appointees, with Magyar publicly referring to them as “puppets.” The prosecutor general’s departure follows that of President Sulyok, who signed the amendment ending his own mandate after parliament threatened impeachment proceedings.

The institutional overhaul is unfolding against a backdrop of legal pressure on Fidesz. Prosecutors and tax authority investigators raided offices housing the party’s data servers this week as part of an embezzlement probe linked to the National Culture Fund under Orbán’s government. Orbán alleged the raid was “on political orders,” while the prosecutor’s office stated the action was part of a criminal investigation. In Budapest, analysts note that the speed and scope of the changes have drawn criticism from Fidesz, which accuses Magyar of authoritarian overreach, even as Tisza insists it is using its electoral mandate to reintegrate Hungary into the European mainstream after years of EU rule-of-law disputes with Orbán.

Parliament is expected to elect a new president in the coming weeks, while further legislative steps to reform the judiciary and media are anticipated. Orbán has scheduled a press briefing for later on Wednesday, and Fidesz has vowed to challenge the term-limit law in court.