PM Orbán appoints minister responsible for suspending Hungarian citizenship

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has appointed the minister who will be responsible for suspending Hungarian citizenship. The new law, which empowers the authorities to suspend the Hungarian citizenship of non-EEA (EU, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) dual nationals, was passed and came into effect in June, following an amendment to the Hungarian Constitution by the Hungarian Parliament in April. PM Orbán has now designated the minister responsible for deciding on suspensions.

Hungarian citizenship can be suspended if there is a threat to national security

The new law allows a member of the government to suspend the Hungarian citizenship of non-EEA dual nationals if they pose a threat to Hungary’s public order or national security. Such a threat may be considered to exist if the person:

• serves in a foreign military or public service,
• acts on behalf of a foreign power or organisation in a way that is incompatible with Hungarian citizenship,
• has left Hungary to join a terrorist organisation,
• or has been legally convicted of serious crimes, such as crimes against humanity, treason, or financing terrorism.

The new regulation may affect hundreds of thousands of Hungarian citizens holding, for example, American, Canadian, or British citizenship. The Hungarian opposition has voiced concerns that the government may be aiming to target Hungarian-American dual national George Soros, who has been depicted as a principal adversary of the Hungarian government for over a decade. Others fear for the 2022 joint opposition prime ministerial candidate, Péter Márki-Zay, Mayor of Hódmezővásárhely, who holds Canadian citizenship. Gergely Gulyás, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, has suggested that Soros could be among the first individuals to face citizenship suspension.

• Hundreds of Hungarian citizenships have been withdrawn: how and who can strip you from citizenship? – read more HERE