Hungarian parliament passes controversial constitutional changes

Hungary’s ruling conservative party has pushed through controversial changes to the constitution, despite warnings from the EU. Opponents say the changes will greatly limit the powers of the constitutional court.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling right-wing Fidesz party, which has a two-thirds majority in parliament, approved a controversial amendment Monday afternoon.

Critics say the vote, known as the "fourth amendment," will limit the power of the constitutional court and increase government controls over the judiciary and higher education.

Opponents claim the changes are part of a campaign by Orban's conservative party to undercut government opposition.

Hours before the vote, the European Commission warned Hungary to live up to democratic norms after President Jose Manuel Barroso spoke directly with Orban last week. Orban's government has insisted that the vote is mostly technical.

Hungary's main opposition Socialist Party boycotted the vote, a move which was seen as largely symbolic given that Orban's party holds majority in parliament.

Ahead of the vote, Socialist Party president Attila Mesterhazy said Orban's wanted to "take revenge on the constitutional court, students, opposition parties, and all those who do not do as the government wishes."

European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen said Monday that Barroso had spoken with Orban on Friday, who reassured her that Budapest remained committed to EU rules.

Orban's comments were "very positive," she said, "but our job is to make sure that [the] EU laws that member states have signed up to, are complied with."

"We will not hesitate to use all the instruments at our disposal to make sure that member states comply with their obligations," she added.

Since taking power in 2010, Orban has pushed through changes that the EU says risk undermining media freedom, control over the constitutional court and the central bank.

International pressure

Before the vote, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressed concern.

"The German government has never left any doubt that Europe is a community of values and that we expect that these values be respected," Westerwelle told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

"It is not only about constitutions and rights put on paper, but about living them," he added.

The United States has also criticized the move saying the constitutional changes "deserve closer scrutiny and more deliberate consideration."

Former Hungarian president Laszlo Solyom, who served from 2005-2010, argued the amendment would dissolve the state's separation of powers.

Over the weekend, several thousand Hungarians staged protests against the vote, with another protest planned in the capital, Budapest, for Monday evening.

hc/kms (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

Source: DW (11/03/2013): http://www.dw.de/hungarian-parliament-passes-controversial-constitutional-changes/a-16664345