Hungarian community in danger? Ukraine wants to forbid double citizens to be public officers, MPs, ministers

The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (RNBO) wants the Kyiv government to modify relevant laws enabling the filtering of those who have citizenship(s) other than only the Ukrainian one. The secretary of the Council said that they would like these people to renounce their non-Ukrainian citizenship(s) to bear any public offices. In Western-Ukraine, Transcarpathia, almost 150 thousand Hungarians live, and most of them have at least Hungarian citizenship. Provided the parliament accepts the modifications, they can find themselves in trouble.

According to karpathir.com, the RNBO analysed the institution of double citizenship during their Friday session. Afterwards, they instructed the government to draft a law enabling state authorities to filter out everybody having additional citizenships and not only the Ukrainian one. Oleksij Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, added during a press conference following the session that double citizenship means challenges, so the

RNBO instructed the Ukrainian government to draft a law in two months related to the issue.

He said that Ukrainian authorities should know whether people in public offices have more than only one (Ukrainian) citizenship. The future law would enable state authorities to trace whether an individual has other citizenship(s). The secretary said if somebody wants to become a member of the parliament, the government, or wants to work for the local authorities, everybody has to know whether they are a citizen of Ukraine or not.

If they have additional citizenships, they have to renounce them.

“Concerning those who are in elected or other public offices and have other citizenship(s), not just Ukrainian, the RNBO conducts the appropriate work. I would advise them to renounce their foreign citizenships, if they have any, to

protect themselves from any inconveniences,” 

Mr Danilov said.

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As we reported before, the parliament in Kyiv was to accept a bill that would regulate the use of different state symbols, including national flags and anthems. If accepted, the Hungarian flag could not be placed on public buildings, and representatives would be allowed to sing only the Ukrainian national anthem when they start and finish their sessions. Before, László Brenzovics, the leader of Transcarpathian Hungarian cultural association KMKSZ, said

Ukrainian-Hungarian relations and the situation of the region’s Hungarian community had taken a worrying turn and called for bilateral talks at the beginning of February.

In January, over a hundred Ukrainian political scientists and analysts worked to create a list of those countries that have been either the friendliest or most hostile to Ukraine last year. Over half of the experts claimed Hungary to be the second most hostile.

Source: karpathir.com