Politics of Hungary
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The Republic of Hungary is an independent, democratic and constitutional state. Since the constitutional amendment of 23 October, 1989, Hungary is a parliamentary republic. Legislative power is exercised by the unicameral National Assembly that consists of 386 members. Members of the National Assembly are elected for four years.
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Structure
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.
Executive: Due to the Hungarian Constitution which has been based on the post-WWII Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Prime Minister has a leading role in the executive branch as he selects Cabinet ministers and has the exclusive right to dismiss them (similarly to the competences of the German federal chancellor). Each cabinet nominee appears before one or more parliamentary committees in consultative open hearings, survive a vote by the Parliament and must be formally approved by the president.
Legislative: the unicameral, 386-member National Assembly is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the prime minister. A party must win at least 5% of the national vote to form a parliamentary faction. National parliamentary elections are held every 4 years (the last in May 2002).
Judicial : A 15-member Constitutional Court has power to challenge legislation on grounds of unconstitutionality. This body has never been filled completely and currently convenes with just 9 members, which verges on incapacitation.
The President of the Supreme Court and the Hungarian civil and penal legal system he leads is fully independent of the Executive Branch.
The Attorney General or Chief Prosecutor of Hungary is currently fully independent of the Executive Branch, but his status is actively debated.
Several ombudsman offices exist in Hungary to protect civil, minority, educational and ecological rights in non-judicial matters. They can issue legally binding decisions since late 2003.
Financial: The National Bank of Hungary has been fully independent between 1990-2004, but new legislation has essentially subjected it to the Prime Minister's control as of November 2004. This legislation is currently pending in the Constitutional Court.
Data summary
| Country name | |
| Conventional long form: | Republic of Hungary |
| Conventional short form: | Hungary |
| Local long form: | Magyar Köztársaság |
| Local short form: | Magyarország |
Data code:
HU
International car sticker code:
H
International aircraft identification prefix:
HA-
Government type: Parliamentary democracy
Capital: Budapest
Administrative divisions: 19 counties (megyék, singular - megye), 20 urban counties* (singular - megyei város), and 1 capital city** (főváros); Bács-Kiskun, Baranya, Békés, Békéscsaba*, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Budapest**, Csongrád, Debrecen*, Dunaújváros*, Eger*, Fejér, Győr*, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Hajdú-Bihar, Heves, Hódmezővásárhely*, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvár*, Kecskemét*, Komárom-Esztergom, Miskolc*, Nagykanizsa*, Nógrád, Nyíregyháza*, Pécs*, Pest, Somogy, Sopron*, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Szeged*, Székesfehérvár*, Szolnok*, Szombathely*, Tatabánya*, Tolna, Vas, Veszprém, Veszprém*, Zala, Zalaegerszeg*
Established: 896 A.D. (arrival of Hungarian tribes in the Carpathian Basin)
Independence: 1001 (unification by King Stephen I)
Official National holiday: Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August (Constitution Day, also commemorates the coronation of King Stephen I in 1000 AD)
Some Paid National Holidays:
- Revolution Day 1848, 15 March (Commemorates the beginning of anti-Habsburg independence struggle and patriotic war in 1848-1849)
- Easter (Religious date, but practically just a resting day, with folk-culture celebrations and spraying girls with perfume)
- Labour Day, 1 May (Celebrates workers' rights and organized labour movement)
- Pentecost (Religious date, but practically just a resting day, with folk-culture celebrations)
- Revolution Day 1956, 23 October (Commemorates the beginning of the Hungarian anti-communist revolution in late 1956)
- All Saints Day (Commemorates the death, traditional cemetery visit time for Hungarian people)
- Christmas Days, 25-26 December (Christmas Eve will also be paid holiday by 2006)
- New Year's Day (Resting day, because people get drunk during the New Year's Eve celebrations)
Constitution: 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system
Legal system: rule of law based on Western model
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal. People serving prison terms cannot vote or be elected.
Religion: There is no state state-sponsored religion in Hungary and the constitution also bans establishing one.
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Ferenc Mádl (since 6 June 2000, until 5 August 2005). Incoming President László Sólyom (5 August 2005-)
head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, MSZP, in coalition with SZDSZ (29 September 2004-)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
elections:
President elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held on 7 June 2005 (next to be held in 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Országgyűles (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held 7 April and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006)
election results:
percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20. See official election site (http://www.valasztas.hu), and Elections in Hungary.
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms
Political parties and leaders: (the first ones in order of popular votes in the elections 2002)
- Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP (István Hiller, chairman)
- Hungarian Civic Union or FIDESZ (Viktor Orbán, chairman)
- Alliance of Free Democrats or SZDSZ (Gábor Kuncze, chairman)
- Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF (Ibolya Dávid, chairman) which is in the process of falling apart as of November 2004
Political parties currently not represented in the Parliament:
- Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP (Zsolt Semjén, president)
- Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP (Erzsébet Pusztai, chairman)
- National Democratic Party or NDP (János Vincze, president)
- Social Democratic Party or SZDP (Tibor Sztankovánszki, president)
- Hungarian Justice and Life Party or MIÉP (István Csurka, chairman)
- Workers' Party or Munkáspárt (Gyula Thürmer, chairman)
- Centre Party or Centrum Párt (Mihály Kupa, chairman)
- Humanist Party or Humanista Párt (Tibor Várady, president)
- Independent Smallholders, Agrarian Workers and Civic Party or FKGP (József Torgyán, president) that fell into pieces around 2001-2002
Member of the international organizations: ABEDA, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (member, as by May 1, 2004), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee
Flag description: Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green. The Hungarian coat of arms is often placed in the middle of the flag.
Ministries
Note: with restructruring and reorganization, this information may change even within a governmental period.
- Prime Minister's Office (Miniszterelnöki Hivatal)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development (Földművelésügyi és Vidékfejlesztési Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Defence (Honvédelmi Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Economic Affairs and Transport (Gazdasági és Közlekedési Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Education (Oktatási Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Employment and Labour (Foglalkoztatáspolitikai és Munkaügyi Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Environmental Protection and Water (Környezetvédelmi és Vízügyi Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Finance (Pénzügyminisztérium)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Külügyminisztérium)
- Ministry of Health (Egészségügyi Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (Informatikai és Hírközlési Minisztérium)
- Ministry of Interior (Belügyminisztérium)
- Ministry of Justice (Igazságügyi Minisztérium)
- Ministry of National Cultural Heritage (Nemzeti Kulturális Örökség Minisztériuma)
- Ministry of Youth, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (Ifjúsági, Családügyi, Szociális és Esélyegyenlőségi Minisztérium)
Ministers without portfolio
- Minister without portfolio responsible for/in charge of European affairs (Európai integrációs ügyek koordinációjáért felelős tárca nélküli miniszter)
- Minister without portfolio for regional development and housing/convergence (Regionális fejlesztésért és felzárkóztatásért felelős tárca nélküli miniszter)
(Sources differ on the English names.)