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Hungary

Monthly Event Reports

July 2023 | Parliament passes controversial education law

Despite protests by teachers, students and parents, the parliament has voted in favour of a controversial education law, which enters into force on 1 January 2024. The law abolishes teachers’ status as public servants, limiting their rights and restricting their autonomy. Further, the maintainer of their educational institution, which in most cases is the state, will determine their salaries based on their performance. Critics fear that loyalty to the state will count towards better performance evaluations. By 29 September, teachers can either accept these conditions or resign. More than 5,000 have already pledged to resign in a March petition. They consider the bill a government retaliation against their 1.5 years of striking for better pay and working conditions. Trade unions have criticized the law for overloading teachers and masking staff shortages, whereas the president, Katalin Novák, insists that it “ensures the [...] functioning of the public education system”.

June 2023 | EU Court rules Hungary’s migration regulation breached EU law

The European Court of Justice has ruled that Hungary broke EU law when it introduced a new law during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 making procedures more difficult for asylum seekers. The judgment found that the law deprived “third-country nationals or stateless persons concerned of the effective enjoyment of their right to seek asylum from Hungary”. The rules forced asylum seekers, including those already in Hungary, to submit a pre-asylum application at Hungarian embassies in Serbia or Ukraine before applying for international protection in Hungary. Authorities said that certain asylum seekers, such as Ukrainians, were exempt from the rules. The case was brought forth by the European Commission, which will now have to decide between demanding that Hungary repeal the regulation and levying fines.  

April 2023 | President vetoes anti-LGBTQIA+ law

President Katalin Novák, who is considered a loyalist of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has unexpectedly vetoed a bill on the protection of whistleblowers. However, the law includes a paragraph that enables people to report those who challenge the “Hungarian way of life”. Hungary’s constitution defines marriage as an institution between “one man and one woman”. This was considered another attack on LGBTQIA+ rights and same-sex parents. The president argued that the “protecting the Hungarian way of life” paragraph does not belong to the EU Whistleblower Act and that this weakens constitutional rights and fundamental values. Although the president has returned the legislation to the parliament, lawmakers can still decide to adopt it. Hungary’s crackdown on LGBTQIA+ rights has faced strong opposition, including the European Commission’s lawsuit over the country’s 2021 Child Protection Law, which was considered an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community. 15 EU-member states have joined the legal proceedings before its deadline on 6 April.

December 2022 | EU freezes billions of euros of funding for Hungary

The European Commission will withhold EUR 22 billion of Hungary’s 2021-27 cohesion funds, intended to promote sustainable development for poorer member states. The move comes following Hungary’s failure to conform with the Charter of Fundamental Rights, particularly related to academic freedoms, LGBTQIA+ rights and the asylum system.  An additional EUR 6.3 billion were frozen until a set of conditions related to dealing with corruption are fulfilled. The EU also suspended EUR 5.8 billion in funds from Hungary’s Covid-19 recovery fund, pending required changes in the country’s judicial independence. The Commission’s decision underpins the dispute between the EU’s promotion of democratic values and Hungary’s democratic backsliding. The EU’s plan is a major setback for Hungary, and it aims to pressure the country to implement the required reforms. International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Indices classifies Hungary as a democratic backslider as of 2019 and as a severe backslider as of 2021.

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
9 709 890
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (since 2010)
Head of government party
Fidesz
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
Mixed Member Proportional System
Women in lower or single chamber
14.10%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2022
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.31
Head of state
President Katalin Novák
Selection process for head of state
Indirect election (assembly)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
02/11/2021
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
49.06%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Signatory
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
in
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Categories of Democratic Performance

Representation neutral Representation
Apr 2023
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Representation neutral Rights
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
Apr 2023
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Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

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