War emergency to persist in Hungary throughout the 2026 parliamentary elections
The National Assembly has authorised the government to extend the war emergency, which was due to expire in November, for an additional 180 days, until 13 May 2026. Parliament approved the proposal with 127 votes in favour and 56 against. The 2026 general elections are expected to be held in April.
War and humanitarian crisis
At an extraordinary session in early October, Parliament discussed an amendment to the law concerning the prevention and management of the consequences of the armed conflict and humanitarian disaster in the neighbouring country. The proposal’s justification states that the orosz–ukrán háború (Russian–Ukrainian war) taking place near Hungary has created a humanitarian situation unseen since the Second World War and has reshaped the European economic landscape as well.
The text emphasises that, in order to manage the humanitarian crisis and counteract the repercussions of international economic shifts, Hungary must continue to ensure the capacity for effective and swift national responses.
War emergency continues
In his introductory speech during the general debate, Róbert Répássy, Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, highlighted that a war has been raging for more than three and a half years on Ukrainian territory, Hungary’s immediate neighbour, and that its humanitarian and economic impacts continue to affect Hungary. These negative effects have become part of daily life for more than three and a half years, which strongly justifies maintaining the special legal order.
He also pointed out that, during the state of emergency, the government made use of the opportunity—within the framework of the Basic Law and the relevant cardinal acts—to introduce extraordinary measures.
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Lets break this down. Since 2015, our Politicians have had some pretext or other:
2015–present: “state of crisis due to mass migration”
2020–2022: “state of danger” for COVID-19
2022–present: “state of danger” for the war in Ukraine / energy crisis
Do you notice that, each time one ends, another begins? According to our Politicians, Hungary faces extraordinary threats which only they, with special powers, of course, can address. This politics of permanent emergency
You can call this “permanent emergency politics”, keeping us in a mindset of vigilance and fear (“the Enemy!”), justifying centralized decision-making (who needs a parliament if you can just rule by decree), marginalizing dissent as “unpatriotic” or “unhelpful” during said crisis (herd mentality).
In Hungary, emergency rule essentially has become the “new normal”. We are the only country in Europe where these measures are continuously rolled over. If the emergencies are, indeed, more or less permanent, after about a decade, I would argue our Politicians are incapable of dealing with them, but hey.