25 March 2020
A detailed analysis of the Hungarian government's proposal to rule by decree in the name of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
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"Late in the evening on Friday, March 20, 2020 the Hungarian government tabled a short bill to install rule by executive decree for an indefinite period. The bill enables the government to take any measure to prevent and manage the COVID-19 outbreak and its consequences. The bill sets no date for expiry or parliamentary review mechanism for the plenary executive powers granted: the regime remains in place until Parliament revokes it.
At the same time the bill envisions that Parliament may not be able to meet due to the pandemic, while it prepares the Constitutional Court for digital operation. Elections and referenda are suspended till the end of the crisis is declared. The bill also seeks to extend the application of emergency measures already in place, amends the definition of the crime of spreading false information and makes violating the terms of epidemiological confinement a crime."
Pandemic as Constitutional Moment: Hungarian Government Seeks Unlimited Powers (Verfassungsblog, link)
And see: EP stands up for democracy in Hungary during COVID-19 (EP, link):
"The Civil Liberties Committee highlights that any extraordinary measure adopted by the Hungarian government in response to the pandemic must respect the EU’s founding values."
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