Two lawmakers from the ruling Tisza Party have submitted a constitutional amendment proposal to limit the prime minister’s term to a maximum of eight years. The proposal, submitted by Márton Melléthei-Barna and István Hantosi, also takes steps towards abolishing the Sovereignty Protection Office and clarifies that assets managed by public interest foundation KEKVA remain national property.
Prime minister’s time in office limited
The MPs argued that restoring the rule of law requires limiting the prime minister’s time in office to a fixed term. The 16th constitutional amendment proposal states that no one who has already served a total of eight years as prime minister, including non-consecutive terms, can be re-elected to the post. The eight-year limit applies to all time served as prime minister since May 2, 1990. The prime minister’s mandate automatically ends once they have served a total of eight years in office, according to the proposal, the Hungarian News Agency wrote.
Universities back to state
The proposal also seeks to reaffirm that public interest foundations’ assets are part of national property, ensuring state accountability.
Additionally, the amendment would remove the constitutional clause mandating the protection of Hungary’s constitutional identity and Christian culture as a duty of all state bodies, which currently underpins the existence of the Sovereignty Protection Office.
The proposal’s justification says “institutions lacking legitimate public functions and violating fundamental rights have no place in a constitutional democracy.”
The amendment requires a two-thirds parliamentary majority to pass and would take effect the day after promulgation.
Tisza MPs propose suspending ongoing forex loan lawsuits
Two lawmakers of Hungary’s ruling Tisza Party have submitted a motion to parliament calling for the suspension of all ongoing forex loan lawsuits and judicial enforcement proceedings. The MPs, István Hantosi and Márton Mellethei-Barna, justified the proposal by citing the need for a review of the legal consequences of forex loan contracts. According to the motion, both civil court cases and judicial enforcement actions would remain suspended until new legislation is passed following a comprehensive review of the relevant laws.
Tisza sets up multiple parliamentary investigative committees
The Tisza Party has submitted its first package of proposals to parliament, including plans to set up several parliamentary investigative committees, which the party’s group leader called “another milestone in Hungary’s regime change”.
The package submitted on Wednesday also includes limiting the prime minister’s time in office to eight years, abolishing the Sovereignty Protection Office, reaffirming that assets of public interest foundation KEKVA remain national property and allowing their dissolution. It also proposes a temporary halt to forex loan judicial enforcement proceedings, Andrea Bujdoso, Tisza’s group leader, said on Facebook.
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The proposed committees will investigate child protection cases, aiming to “systematically uncover why the state failed to protect children in its care”, and examine the presidential pardon case, focusing on how a conviction for child abuse-related offences was fast-tracked from preparation to ministerial approval, she said.
Another committee will probe the “spontaneous privatisation” and loss of national assets, to “reveal the political, economic and institutional decisions that led to the disappearance of public wealth”, Bujdoso said.
Two further committees will investigate alleged abuses at the National Bank of Hungary and irregularities in judicial enforcement procedures.
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