Legal System of Hungary

Hungary is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in central europe, northwest of romania. The country achieved independence on 16 november 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 december 1000 (crowning of king stephen i, traditional founding date); 30 march 1867 (austro-hungarian dual monarchy established). The capital is Budapest.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Tamas SULYOK (since 5 March 2024) Head of Government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010) Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed by the president Administrative Divisions: 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 25 cities with county rights (megyei jogu varosok, singular - megyei jogu varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros)

counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad-Csanad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala

cities with county rights: Baja, Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Esztergom, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg

capital city: Budapest National Holiday: Saint Stephen’s Day, 20 August (1083) Suffrage: 18 years of age, 16 if married and marriage is registered in Hungary; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Hungary is described as civil system influenced by the German model International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICC jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1949 (heavily amended in 1989 following the collapse of communism); latest approved 18 April 2011, signed 25 April 2011, effective 1 January 2012 Amendment Process: proposed by the president of the republic, by the government, by parliamentary committee, or by Parliament members; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament members and approval by the president

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Curia or Supreme Judicial Court (consists of the president, vice president, department heads, and has a maximum of 113 judges, and is organized into civil, criminal, and administrative-labor departments; Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president) Judge Selection: Curia president elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president of the republic; other Curia judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, a separate 15-member administrative body; judge tenure based on interim evaluations until normal retirement at age 62; Constitutional Court judges, including the president of the court, elected by the National Assembly; court vice president elected by the court itself; members serve 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 62 Subordinate Courts: 5 regional courts of appeal; 19 regional or county courts (including Budapest Metropolitan Court); 20 administrative-labor courts; 111 district or local courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Hungary Suffrage: 18 years of age, 16 if married and marriage is registered in Hungary; universal

Historical Background

Hungary became a Christian kingdom in A.D. 1000 and for many centuries served as a bulwark against Ottoman Turkish expansion in Europe. The kingdom eventually became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under communist rule after World War II. In 1956, Moscow responded to a Hungarian revolt and announcement of its withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact with a massive military intervention.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Hungary based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.