Parliament has passed a bill on extending the special legal order in connection with measures to protect the country against the coronavirus pandemic.
According to MTI, the law which authorizes the government to extend related decrees by 90 days was passed with 133 votes in favor, 55 against and one abstention. Justice Minister Judit Varga, in her reasoning attached to the bill, said the approval by lawmakers was “a political recognition of the government’s efforts so far to stop the epidemic”.
Under the new law, interim elections or referendums cannot be held while the special legal order is in force. Votes thus postponed shall be scheduled within 15 days of the special legal order’s termination. The new law also stipulates that the government should provide regular information about its pandemic-related measures to parliament, or to the house speaker and group leaders when the assembly is not in session. The law will take effect on the day of its publication for 90 days.
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