Under the ninth amendment to the country’s constitution, Hungary’s six constitutional types of special legal order which have defined a state of emergency are to be narrowed down to three: a state of war, a state of emergency and a state of danger.
According to MTI, a two-thirds majority will be required to declare a state of emergency, which may be brought about if attempt is made to overthrow the constitutional order or launch a coup d’état, or if any illegal act that endangers the security of life or property on a mass scale is made.
This special legal order can be imposed for thirty days and extended by parliament for a further thirty days if the given situation warrants it. The new text tightens up the definition for a state of danger so that one can only be declared in the event of a “disaster or industrial accident that endangers the safety of life and property”. This also requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority and can last up to thirty days.
The constitutional amendment will enter into force the day after it is promulgated. The rules related to the special legal order will enter force in July 2023.
Photo credit: Hungary Today