Hungary Plans Constitution Review

Hungary’s government will start a long-term review of the nation’s constitution to see if legislation adopted by Prime Minister Viktor Orban in 2011 amid criticism of democratic backsliding needs further changes. “There will be a broader constitutional change. The debate will start in September and may last as long as a year or a year and a half,” Orban said on the MR1-Kossuth public radio on Friday, Bloomberg reported. “We will assess what has been a success, what could have been a success, what is regulated by the constitution but is not reflected in the universe of lower-level laws and if there are legislative gaps that need to be bridged with new constitutional texts.” Hungary’s premier is using a constitutional mandate won at April elections to expand his grip on power to the few state institutions that remain independent. In a separate bill to modify the country’s legal charter, Orban is proposing to establish public administration courts parallel to existing tribunals. Opposition parties and some judges have said the measure may undermine the judiciary’s autonomy. He has been in power since 2010.