International conference marks 10th anniversary of Hungarian constitution

Hungary’s fundamental law is “not just a document but a charter that establishes an alliance linking the past and future, spanning the history of our thousand-year-old statehood,” Justice Minister Judit Varga said at an international conference marking the 10th anniversary of Hungary’s constitution on Tuesday.

Addressing the conference Ten Years of Hungary’s Constitution – roots, values, and sovereignty, the minister said the values therein “must not be questioned in our globalist world”.

She said that is why it was important to take stock from time to time “and remind ourselves where we came from, and also set a course for where you want to get to”.

Gulyás: Ruling parties ‘the only heir to freedom’ in Hungary

The stakes in next year’s general election are especially high because Hungary’s ruling parties are “the only heir to freedom” in the country and the only ones with “unquestionable democratic convictions”, the prime minister’s chief of staff said on Tuesday.

European Union leaders from the western part of the bloc have been fortunate enough to be able to speak about the importance of freedom and democracy in democratic countries their whole lives, Gergely Gulyás said at an international conference marking the 10th anniversary of Hungary’s constitution. Hungary’s leaders, on the other hand — including the prime minister, the president and the speaker of parliament — all emphasised the importance of the rule of law while living under a dictatorship, he added.

In the 1980s, Hungary’s current leaders stood up for freedom and democracy while facing physical oppression and risking personal existential ruin, Gulyás said.

“This is an obvious difference in the commitment to democracy between western and central Europe,” he said. “Our commitment to the rule of law is not an empty platitude … but is based on true conviction.”