Politics of Hungary

Hungary
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Hungary
Constitution 1949 Constitution
Executive President (list) János Áder Government Current cabinet Prime Minister (list) Viktor Orbán
Parliament National Assembly Speaker: László Kövér Political parties Fidesz Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) Jobbik Politics Can Be Different (LMP) Dialogue for Hungary (PM) Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) Democratic Coalition (DK)
Recent elections Parliamentary: 2010 2014 next Presidential: 2010 2012 2017
Administrative divisions Districts Counties Regions Subregions
Foreign relations
Other countries Atlas

Politics of Hungary takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic. The Prime Minister is the head of government of a pluriform multi-party system, while the President is the head of state and holds a largely ceremonial position.

Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the parliament. The party system since the last elections is dominated by the conservative Fidesz. The two larger oppositions are Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and Jobbik; there are also opposition parties with no formal faction but representation in parliament (e. g. Politics Can Be Different) The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Hungary is an independent, democratic and constitutional state, which has been a member of the European Union since 2004. Since 1989 Hungary has been a parliamentary republic. Legislative power is exercised by the unicameral National Assembly that consists of 199 members. Members of the National Assembly are elected for four years.

Executive branch

The President of the Republic, elected by the National Assembly every five 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. If the President dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to carry out his duties, the Speaker of the National Assembly becomes acting President.

Due to the Hungarian Constitution, based on the post-World War II 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.

In Communist Hungary, the executive branch of the People's Republic of Hungary was represented by the Council of Ministers.

Legislative branch

Parliament of Hungary.

The unicameral, 199-member National Assembly (Országgyűlés) is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the prime minister. Its members are elected for a four-year term. The election threshold is 5%, but it only applies to the multi-seat constituencies and the compensation seats, not the single-seat constituencies.

Political parties and elections

 Summary of the 6 April 2014 election to the National Assembly (Országgyűlés)

Parties and coalitions			Party list				Constituency		Total seats
			Votes	%	+/−	Seats	Votes	Seats	Seats	+/−	%	+/−
	Fidesz–KDNP party alliance Fidesz–KDNP pártszövetség	Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union (Fidesz) Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség	2,264,780	44.87	7.86	30	2,165,342	87	117	110	66.83	1.3
		Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt				7		9	16	20
	Unity Összefogás	Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) Magyar Szocialista Párt	1,290,806	25.57	6.27	21	1,317,879	8	29	30	19.10	3.82
		Together – Party for a New Era (Együtt) Együtt – A Korszakváltók Pártja			New	2		1	3	New
		Democratic Coalition (DK) Demokratikus Koalíció				3		1	4
		Dialogue for Hungary (PM) Párbeszéd Magyarországért				1		0	1
		Hungarian Liberal Party (MLP) Magyar Liberális Párt				1		0	1
	Movement for a Better Hungary (Jobbik) Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom		1,020,476	20.22	3.55	23	1,000,637	0	23	24	11.56	0.62
	Politics Can Be Different (LMP) Lehet Más a Politika		269,414	5.34	2.14	5	244,191	0	5	11	2.51	1.64
	Hungarian Workers' Party Magyar Munkáspárt		28,323	0.56	0.45	0	12,716	0	0	0	0	0
	The Homeland Not For Sale Movement Party (HNEM) A Haza Nem Eladó Mozgalom Párt		23,507	0.47	New	0	23,037	0	0	New	0	0
	Alliance of Mária Seres (SMS) Seres Mária Szövetségesei		22,219	0.44	0.45	0	20,229	0	0	0	0	0
	Party of Greens (Greens) Zöldek Pártja		18,557	0.37	0.37	0	9,392	0	0	0	0	0
	Social Democratic Hungarian Civic Party (Soc Dems) Szociáldemokraták Magyar Polgári Pártja		15,073	0.3	0.22	0	12,232	0	0	0	0	0
	Together 2014 Party Együtt 2014 Párt		14,085	0.28	New	0	6,361	0	0	New	0	0
	Party for a Fit and Healthy Hungary (SEM) Sportos és Egészséges Magyarországért Párt		12,563	0.25	New	0	11,746	0	0	New	0	0
	Community for Social Justice People's Party (KTI) Közösség a Társadalmi Igazságosságért Néppárt		10,969	0.22	New	0	10,551	0	0	New	0	0
	Democratic Community of Welfare and Freedom (JESZ) Jólét és Szabadság Demokratikus Közösség		9,925	0.2	New	0	13,051	0	0	New	0	0
	Gypsy Party of Hungary (MCP) Magyarországi Cigány Párt		8,810	0.17	New	0	9,030	0	0	New	0	0
	Independent Smallholders Party (FKGP) Független Kisgazdapárt		8,083	0.16	0.16	0	7,175	0	0	0	0	0
	Unity Party (ÖP) Összefogás Párt		6,552	0.13	0.06	0	6,887	0	0	0	0	0
	New Dimension Party (ÚDP) Új Dimenzió Párt		2,100	0.04	New	0	1,706	0	0	New	0	0
	New Hungary Party (ÚMP) Új Magyarország Párt		1,578	0.03	New	0	2,018	0	0	New	0	0
	Others and Independent candidates		–	–	–	–	34,432	0	0	1	0	0.26
	13 minority lists (needed 22,022 votes/list for a mandate)		19,543	0.38	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Total (turnout 61.73% 2.63pp)			5,047,363	100%	–	93	4,908,608	106	199	187	100%	–
Source: National Election Office (100.00% reporting)

Judicial branches

Constitutional Court of Hungary.

A fifteen-member Constitutional Court has power to challenge legislation on grounds of unconstitutionality. This body was last filled on July 2010. Members are elected for a term of twelve years.

The President of the Supreme Court of Hungary 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 have held the authority to issue legally binding decisions since late 2003.

Financial branch

The central bank, the Hungarian National Bank was fully self-governing between 1990–2004, but new legislation gave certain appointment rights to the Executive Branch in November 2004 which is disputed before the Constitutional Court.

Administrative divisions

Hungary is divided in 19 counties (megyék, singular - megye), 23 urban counties* (megyei jogú városok, singular - megyei jogú város), and 1 capital city** (főváros); Bács-Kiskun, Baranya, Békés, Békéscsaba*, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Budapest**, Csongrád, Debrecen*, Dunaújváros*, Eger*, Érd*, Fejér, Győr*, Győr-Moson-Sopron, Hajdú-Bihar, Heves, Hódmezővásárhely*, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvár*, Kecskemét*, Komárom-Esztergom, Miskolc*, Nagykanizsa*, Nógrád, Nyíregyháza*, Pécs*, Pest, Salgótarján*, Somogy, Sopron*, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Szeged*, Szekszárd*, Székesfehérvár*, Szolnok*, Szombathely*, Tatabánya*, Tolna, Vas, Veszprém, Veszprém*, Zala, Zalaegerszeg*

Involvement in International Organisations

Hungary is a member of the ABEDA, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, CEPI EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (member, as by 1 May 2004), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, Visegrád group, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, and the Zangger Committee.

Ministries

Note: with restructruring and reorganization, this information may change even within a governmental period.

Ministers without portfolio

• Ministers without portfolio: Zsolt Semjén, Tamás Fellegi

Notes

References