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Hungary: Hungary Government Profile 2012

2012/03/13

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Hungary Government Profile 2012

Under the constitution of 1949, a Communist government was established in Hungary. In 1989 the constitution was revised and a democratic system of government was established. Amendments abolished the monopoly on political power that had been guaranteed to the Communist party in the constitution.

Hungary's government has three independent branches—executive, legislative, and judicial. Legislative power is held by the National Assembly, a unicameral body of 386 members, elected to four-year terms. The president, elected by the Assembly to a five-year term, is the head of state and the most powerful government official. His main duties are to authorize elections, serve as the parliament when the Assembly is not in session, and to act as the commander in chief of the armed forces. The prime minister, also elected by the Assembly, is the head of government and the head of the Council of Ministers.

There are 19 counties and 6 cities in Hungary, which also includes Budapest, each with an individual council with members elected popularly for four years.

The major political parties of Hungary include the Alliance of Free Democrats, the Federation of Young Democrats-Hungarian Civic Party, the Hungarian Socialist Party, and the Independent Smallholders' and Peasants' Party. Apart from these, there are the Christian Democratic People's Party, the Hungarian Democratic Forum, and the Hungarian Workers' Party.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. It reviews, on appeal, the decisions of lower courts. There are two types of lower courts—district and county. In addition there are military courts as well.

Government type: 

parliamentary democracy

Administrative divisions: 

19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 urban counties (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros) counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest

Independence: 

25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date)

National holiday: 

Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August

Constitution: 

18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989; and 1997 note: 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: 

based on the German-Austrian legal system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 

18 years of age; universal

Legislative branch: 

unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 and 23 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2010) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - MSzP 43.2%, Fidesz-KDNP 42%, SzDSz 6.5%, MDF 5%, other 3.3%; seats by party - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 164, SzDSz 20, MDF 11, independent 1; seats by party as of January 2009 - MSzP 190, Fidesz-KDNP 161, SzDSz 19, MDF 10, independent 5, vacant 1

Judicial branch: 

Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders : 

Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Attila RETKES]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Semjen ZSOLT]; Hungarian Civic Union or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Ildiko LENDVAI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: 

Air Work Group (works to reduce air pollution in towns and cities); Company For Freedom Rights (Tarsasag a Szabadsagjogokert) or TASZ (personal data protection); Danube Circle (protests the building of the Gabchikovo-Nagymaros dam); Green Future (protests the impact of lead contamination of local factory on health of the people); environmentalists: Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society (Magyar Madartani Egyesulet)or MME; Green Alternative (Zold Alternativa)

International organization participation: 

Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Flag description: 

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green

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