Leading the opposition to the new constitution, which is expected to be adopted by the Hungarian parliament on April 18 2011, is the Hungarian Socialist Party and the smaller green party, known as Politics Can Be Different. Chief among the concerns is the perceived limit to civil liberties that the new constitution would bring about.
The Right Move
The government has said that changing the current constitution is needed in order to give Hungary a stronger economic footing, completing the transition toward democracy that begun over 20 years ago after the fall of the communist dictatorship.
Supporters also argue that it would put an end to the political scandals that have polluted previous governments, corrupting the political process in recent years.
According to an April 18 2011 article in Canadian Business.com Peter Szijjarto a spokesman for Prime Minister Viktor Orban said,"On Monday, the parliament is preparing to pass a new fundamental law of which every Hungarian can be proud."
The ruling Fidesz Party and it's ally, the Christian Democrats, won a huge victory in parliamentary elections held in April 2010, gaining a two-thirds majority over their rivals in what Orban described as "a revolution in the voting booth."
The Communist Revolt
The opposition Hungarian Socialist Party, which is in part the successor to Hungary's former rulers, the communist Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, who held power in the eastern European state for 43 years, have remained steadfast in their refusal to participate in the construction of the new constitution.
They cite plans to weaken the constitutional court as well as the head of the National Bank of Hungary as a threat to civil rights, and complain that the new constitution would give the Fidesz Party undue influence in political affairs long after it has left office..
Other plans that have leftwing critics up in arms also include lifetime prison sentences for violent offenders, without the possibility of parole, and protection of the life of a fetus from the moment of conception, thus opening the way for a possible future ban on abortion.
The new constitution would also limit marriage to those between a man and a woman.
The Ethnic Component
The ethnic concept and ethnic consideration of Hungarian nationhood also plays a significant role in the drafting of the new constitution. The new right of citizenship, (which took effect on January 1, 2011) means that hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hungarians or "Hungarians Abroad," who live in neighbouring states such as Romania will, according to the new constitution, be the responsibility of the Hungarian nation.
According to a report in German foreign policy.com on April 15, the constitution stipulates that "Guided by the idea of the united Hungarian nation-Hungary bears the responsiblitiy for the fates of the Hungarians living beyond it's territorial boundaries, promoting the maintenance and development of their communities, supporting their ambitions in the conservation of Hungariandom and inter-community cooperation and cooperation with Hungary."
Hungary's neighbours worry about such language. There are an estimated 2.5 million ethnic Hungarians living in regions that were once part of "Greater Hungary," regions that today include parts of modern Romania and Slovakia.
Romania has nearly 1.5 million ethnic Hungarians while Slovakia is home to over half a million.
Any intervention by the Hungarian state in defence of ethnic Hungarian populations living in neighbouring states could raise regional tensions in what has long been a tinderbox of ethnic rivalries and hatred.
Hungarian President Pal Schmitt is expected to sign the historic document on the symbolic and culturally important date of April 25, Easter Monday.
Sources
- German Foreign Policy.com : Boarderless Nation (accessed April 17 2011.)
- Canadian Business.com : Hungary's government lawmakers to approve new constitution on Monday amid opposition boycott. (accessed April 18 2011.)
- The Economist : Pandora's Passport: (accessed April 17 2011.)
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