Country Profile
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordered by Slovakia to the North,Ukraine and Romania to the East,Serbia and Croatia to the South and Austria to the West.
Hungary is divided into 19 Counties. In addition, the Budapest(the capital)is independent on any county government.
The country is home to the largest Thermal Water Cave system and the 2nd largest Thermal Lake in the world - Lale Heviz;the largest lake in Central Europe -Lake Balaton and the largest natural grasslands in Europe - Hortobagy
Hungary is one of the 30 most popular Tourist Destinations of the World(atract 9 Million tourists every year)
Hungary joined the European Union in 2004
Capital Budapest
Currency Forint
Official language Hungarian
Population 10 million( 2011 estimate)
History
Kingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)
The Kingdom of Hungary also known as the Regency, existed from 1920 to 1946 and was a de facto country under Regent Miklos Horthy
Republic of Hungary (1946–1949)
The Second Hungarian Republic was a Parliamentary Republic briefly established after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Hungary on Feb 01,1946
People's Republic of Hungary(1949-89)
The People's Republic of Hungary or Hungarian People's Republic was the official state name of Hungary from 1949 to 1989 during its Communist period under the guidance of the Soviet Union.
Revolutions of 1989The Revolutions of 1989 (also known as the Fall of Communism)
On Oct 07, 1989, the Communist Party at its last congress re-established itself as the Hungarian Socialist Party. In a historic session from Oct 16 to 20,1989 October, the Parliament adopted legislation providing for Multi-Party Parliamentary Elections and a Direct Presidential Election.The legislation transformed Hungary from a People's Republic into the Republic of Hungary.
1990 Hungarian Parliamentary Election
The parliamentary Election held on March 24,1990 was the 1st free elections to be held in the country since1945 and only the third honest election in the country's history.The results of the election were -
Hungarian Democratic Forum(MDF) got 164 seats
Alliance for Free Democrats got 92 seats
Independent Smallholders Party got 44 seats
Hungarian Socialist Party got 33 seats and
Christian Democratic People's Party got 21 seats
Jozsef Antall(leader of MDF Party)became the Prime Minister of Hungary in Coalition with -
Christian Democratic People's Party and
Independent Smallholders Party
Government
Hungary is a Parliamentary Representative Democratic Republic.President is Head of State and the Prime Minister is Head of Govt.of a Multi-party system. Executive Power is exercised by the Council of Ministers. Legislative Power is vested in both the Govt. and the Parliament.President of Hungary
The President of the Republic, elected by the National Assembly every 5 years, has a largely ceremonial role, but he is nominally the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and his powers include the nomination of the Prime Minister who is to be elected by a majority of the votes of the Members of Parliament, based on the recommendation made by the President of the Republic.
László Kövér is the acting President of Hungary since the resignation of Pal Schmitt on April 02,2012
János Áder he was appointed by the Fidesz party, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to become the new President of Hungary on April 16, 2012 (after the resignation of Pal Schmitt on April 02,2012)
János Áder was elected on 2 May 02,2012 and will take office on May 10,2012.
National Assembly of Hungary
The Unicameral National Assembly consisting of 386 Members is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the PM.
176 members are elected in single-seat constituencies,152 by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies, and 58 so-called compensation seats are distributed based on the number of votes "lost" (i.e., the votes that did not produce a seat) in either the single-seat or the multi-seat constituencies.
Members of the National Assembly are elected for 4 years.
2010 Hungarian Parliamentary Election - April 11 and 25,2010
The Parliamentary Election held was the 6th free elections since the end of communist era.The 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies. In the 1st Round of the elections, the Conservative Party - Fidesz won the absolute majority of seats, enough to form a government on its own.
Fidesz -Hungarian Civic Union won 206 Seats
Hungarian Socialist Party won 28 Seats and
Jobbik, The Movement for a Better Hungary won 26 Seats
In the 2nd Round of the elections, Fidesz-Christian Democratic People's Party(KDNP) candidates won enough seats to achieve a two-thirds majority.
Fidesz-Christian Democratic People's Party(KDNP)won 262 Seats
Hungarian Socialist Party won 59 Seats and
Jobbik, The Movement for a Better Hungary won 47 Seats
Hungary Welcomes the New Year 2012 with a New Constitution
The Fundamental Law of Hungary (Magyarország Alaptörvénye), the country's constitution, was adopted on 18 April 2011, promulgated a week later and went into force on 1 January 2012.
Hungary's first constitution to be adopted within a democratic framework and following free elections, it succeeded the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary (A Magyar Köztársaság Alkotmánya), adopted on 20 August 1949 and heavily amended on 23 October 1989.
Until its replacement,Hungary was the only former Eastern Bloc Nation that did not adopt an entirely new constitution after the 'Fall of Communism'.
In 2010, a new government led by he Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union(a major Conservative Party in Hungary)
initiated a drafting process for a new constitution by setting up a parliamentary committee for drafting the constitution with all five parliamentary parties represented.In February 2010, a body responsible for national consultations on a draft was set up,the consultation involved questionnaires being mailed out to all citizens for their opinions; some 917,000 or 11% were returned. Provisions were then included or excluded based on consensus among respondents.On April 18,2010, parliament approved the constitution on a 262-44 vote, with Fidesz and their Christian Democratic People's Party(KDNP) coalition partners in favor
and Jobbik (Jobbik, The Movement for a Better Hungary,a Hungarian Radical Nationalist Political Party,it is Hungary's 3rd largest party) opposed.
and Politics Can Be Different - LMP
( a Hungarian Green Liberal Party founded in 2009)citing the ruling party's unwillingness to compromise on issues and their inability to change the outcome, boycotted both the drafting process and the vote.
On April 25,2010, President Pal Schmitt signed the document into law, and it entered into force on the first day of 2012.
Described as socially and fiscally conservative, the constitution initiates a number of changes -
- The country's name is changed from "Hungarian Republic" to "Hungary"
- To push the public debt below 50% of gross domestic product (from above 80% at the time of adoption), the powers of the Constitutional Court on budget and tax matters are restricted until debt falls below 50%.
- The President is allowed to dissolve Parliament if a budget is not approved
- Only companies with transparent activities and ownership structures are allowed to bid for government contracts
- The powers of the head of the National Bank are also limited
- The modification of tax and pension laws requires a two-thirds majority
- The constitution lowers judges' mandatory retirement age from 70 to the general retirement age, which was 62 at the time of adoption and is set to rise to 65 by 2022.
- Certain issue areas, such as family policy, the pension system and taxation, formerly under the purview of the government in office, can be altered only through "Cardinal Acts" passed by a two-thirds majority and not subject to constitutional review.
- The life of a fetus is protected from the moment of conception, and although the move is seen as opening the possibility for a future ban or restrictions on abortion.
- Same-sex couples may legally register their partnership, but marriage is defined as being between one man and one woman.
- A ban on discrimination does not mention age or sexual orientation, and the constitution allows life imprisonment for violent crimes without the possibility of parole.
Reactions to the New Constitution
According to Fidesz parliamentary group chairman Janos Lazar, the constitution marks a break with Hungary’s communist past,
while PM Viktor Orban said it completes a transition to democracy and allows for sound finances and clean government after years of mismanagement and scandals.
The opposition accused Fidesz of using its two-thirds majority in Parliament to push through its own constitution without cross-party consensus.
Prior to and during the vote to adopt the constitution, thousands of protesters demonstrated in Budapest against its adoption; among their complaints are that it is an attempt by the government to cement its power beyond its term, force its Christian ideology on the country and limit civil liberties.
Amnesty International believes the document "violates international and European human rights standards", citing the clauses on fetal protection, marriage and life imprisonment, and sexual orientation not being covered in the anti-discrimination clause.
Left-wing and liberal members of the European Parliament asserted that it fails to protect citizens' rights and reduces legislative checks and balances.
Hungarian President in Plagiarism Row
Hungarian President Pal Schmitt cancelled all public engagements Friday March 30,2012 and he was last night expected to make a live address on Hungarian television and radio amid widespread expectations that he will step down.
His actions come after a special committee set up by Semmelweis University, Pal Schmitt's Alma Mater, concluded the Hungarian President had copied large chunks of his 1992 thesis on Olympic history "word for word", and condemned his "violation of scientific norms".
Acting President of Hungary
Following the resignation of Pal Schmitt as President of Hungary on April 02, 2012,Laszlo Kövér(a founding Member of Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union)became Acting President of the Hungarian Republic according to the Constitution of Hungary.
President Elect of Hungary
János Áder was appointed by the Fidesz party, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to become the new President of Hungary on April 16, 2012 (after the resignation of Pal Schmitt on April 02,2012)
János Áder was elected on 2 May 02,2012 and will take office on May 10,2012.
MP's Approve Constitutional Amendments - March 11,2013
Hungarian MPs voted for constitutional amendments that critics say will limit the powers of the constitutional court.The amendment was passed on Monday March 11,2013 by a vote of 265 to 11, with 33 abstentions. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Conservative Fidesz Party and its small ally, the Christian Democrats, and 3 Independent Deputies voted in favour.
The amendment tightens up the laws on higher education, homelessness, election campaigns and family rights
It is the fourth amendment to Hungary’s new constitution since it came into force just 14 months ago
The constitutional amendment has been criticised by the EU, the US and numerous Hungarian legal experts and civic groups, who worry it puts too much unchecked power in government hands.
Hundreds of protesters outside parliament on Monday called on President János Áder, a Fidesz ally, to veto the amendment.
Acting President of Hungary
Following the resignation of Pal Schmitt as President of Hungary on April 02, 2012,Laszlo Kövér(a founding Member of Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union)became Acting President of the Hungarian Republic according to the Constitution of Hungary.
President Elect of Hungary
János Áder was appointed by the Fidesz party, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, to become the new President of Hungary on April 16, 2012 (after the resignation of Pal Schmitt on April 02,2012)
János Áder was elected on 2 May 02,2012 and will take office on May 10,2012.
MP's Approve Constitutional Amendments - March 11,2013
Hungarian MPs voted for constitutional amendments that critics say will limit the powers of the constitutional court.The amendment was passed on Monday March 11,2013 by a vote of 265 to 11, with 33 abstentions. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Conservative Fidesz Party and its small ally, the Christian Democrats, and 3 Independent Deputies voted in favour.
The amendment tightens up the laws on higher education, homelessness, election campaigns and family rights
It is the fourth amendment to Hungary’s new constitution since it came into force just 14 months ago
The constitutional amendment has been criticised by the EU, the US and numerous Hungarian legal experts and civic groups, who worry it puts too much unchecked power in government hands.
Hundreds of protesters outside parliament on Monday called on President János Áder, a Fidesz ally, to veto the amendment.
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