Politics of Hungary

Executive: The President of the Republic, elected by the National Assembly every 5 years, has a largely ceremonial role, but his powers include the appointment of the Prime Minister. The prime minister selects Cabinet ministers and has the exclusive right to dismiss them. Each cabinet nominee appears before one or more parliamentary committees in consultative open hearings and must be formally approved by the president.

Legislative: the unicameral, 386-member National Assembly is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the prime minister. A party must win at least 5% of the national vote to form a parliamentary faction. National parliamentary elections are held every 4 years (the last in May 2002).

Judicial : A 15-member Constitutional Court has power to challenge legislation on grounds of unconstitutionality.

Data summary

Government type: Parliamentary democracy

Capital: Budapest

Administrative divisions: 19 counties (megyék, singular - megye), 20 urban counties* (singular - megyei város), and 1 capital city** (fõváros); Bács-Kiskun, Baranya, Békés, Békéscsaba*, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplén, Budapest**, Csongrád, Debrecen*, Dunaújváros*, Eger*, Fejér, Gyõr*, Gyõr-Moson-Sopron, Hajdú-Bihar, Heves, Hódmezõvásárhely*, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvár*, Kecskemét*, Komárom-Esztergom, Miskolc*, Nagykanizsa*, Nográd, Nyíregyháza*, Pécs*, Pest, Somogy, Sopron*, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Szeged*, Székesfehérvár*, Szolnok*, Szombathely*, Tatabánya*, Tolna, Vas, Veszprém, Veszprém*, Zala, Zalaegerszeg*

Independence: 1001 (unification by King Stephen I)

National holiday: Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August (commemorates the coronation of King Stephen I in 1000 AD)

Constitution: 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 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: rule of law based on Western model

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ferenc Mádl (since 6 June 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy (since 2002)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held in 2000 (next to be held in 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president
election results: Árpád GÖNCZ reelected president; a total of 335 votes were cast by the National Assembly, Árpád Göncz received 259; Viktor Orban elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Országgyűles (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 April and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms

Political parties and leaders: (the first ones in order of popular votes in the elections 2002)
Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP [László Kovács, chairman]; Hungarian Civic Party or FIDESZ [László Kövér, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya Dávid, chairman]; Alliance of Free Democrats or SZDSZ [Bálint Magyar, chairman]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [György Giczy, president]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsébet Pusztai, chairman]; Hungarian Justice and Life Party or MIEP [István Csurka, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula Thürmer, chairman]; Independent Smallholders or FKGP [József Torgyán, president]

'Member of the international organizations : ABEDA, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (member, as by May 1, 2004), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee

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

See also : Hungary