Hungary – On 21 November, Maté Kocsis, leader of the Fidesz party that has been in power in Hungary since 2010, tabled two bills in the Hungarian Parliament, one on the protection of national sovereignty and the other on the creation of an Office for the Protection of Sovereignty.

Amendments to the Constitution

To achieve this, a twelfth amendment to the Constitution will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority, which the Fidesz-KDNP coalition has enjoyed continuously since 2010.

An amendment to the Constitution submitted by the Minister of Justice was posted on the Parliament’s website, stipulating that an independent body established by a cardinal law will operate to protect constitutional self-identity.

Selon le Fidesz, la souveraineté hongrois est souvent attaquée

The proposal argues that Hungary’s sovereignty is increasingly under attack, and the 2022 parliamentary election campaign has already been influenced by direct foreign funding, as confirmed by the national security investigation into the support of the united left-wing opposition.

According to the submission, Hungarian law currently prohibits parties from accepting foreign funding, but in the spring of 2022 the united opposition circumvented this by using funds from abroad through NGOs and companies engaged in political activities.

According to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the major challenge over the next ten to fifteen years will be to defend Hungary’s national sovereignty.

The role of the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty

According to the draft law, the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty will be responsible, among other things, for producing an annual national sovereignty report and for identifying and investigating organisations whose activities using foreign funding could influence the outcome of elections.

The President of the Office is appointed by the President of the Republic, on a proposal from the Prime Minister, for a term of six years, for the first time until 1 February 2024.

The proposal would add to the Penal Code a legal status of illegal influence on the electorate, according to which a candidate who uses prohibited foreign aid or, in order to circumvent this prohibition, uses a financial advantage derived from an agreement disguising the origin of the prohibited foreign aid, would be punishable by a criminal offence punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment.

The 12th Amendment to the Constitution also stipulates, among other things, that the state will provide everyone with a unique, permanent ID for the digital management of affairs. It also stipulates that the government will issue a decree on the legal status of professional members of the Hungarian Defence Forces, and, among other things, that no trade union may be formed or operate in connection with the legal status of professional members of the Defence Forces.