View source for Politics of Hungary

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{{Infobox political system
| name                          = Politics of Hungary
| native_name                   = {{lang|hu|Magyarország politikája}}
| image                         = Coat of arms of Hungary.svg
| image_size                    = 101
| caption                       = [[Coat of arms of Hungary]]
| type                          = {{UBL|
* [[Unitary parliamentary republic]]
* [[Hybrid regime]]
* [[Electoral autocracy]]
}}
| constitution                  = [[Constitution of Hungary]] (2011)
| formation                     = 23 October 1989 ([[Third Hungarian Republic]]){{Clear}}1 January 2012 (current constitution entered into force)
| legislature                   = [[National Assembly (Hungary)|National Assembly]]
| legislature_type              = [[Unicameral]]
| legislature_place             = [[Hungarian Parliament Building]]
| legislature_speaker           = [[László Kövér]]
| legislature_speaker_title     = [[List of speakers of the National Assembly (Hungary)|President of the National Assembly of Hungary]]
| upperhouse                    =
| upperhouse_speaker            =
| upperhouse_speaker_title      =
| upperhouse_appointer          =
| lowerhouse                    =
| lowerhouse_speaker            =
| lowerhouse_speaker_title      =
| lowerhouse_appointer          = [[Scorporo|Partially parallel, partially compensatory voting]]: 106 [[First-past-the-post voting|FPTP]] seats, 93 [[Party-list proportional representation|PR]] seats with 5% [[electoral threshold]] ([[D'Hondt method]])
| title_hos                     = [[President of Hungary|President]]
| current_hos                   = [[Tamás Sulyok]]
| appointer_hos                 = National Assembly
| title_hog                     = [[Prime Minister of Hungary|Prime Minister]]
| current_hog                   = [[Viktor Orbán]]
| appointer_hog                 = National Assembly
| title_hosag                   =
| current_hosag                 =
| appointer_hosag               =
| cabinet                       = [[Government of Hungary]]
| current_cabinet               = [[Fifth Orbán Government]]
| cabinet_leader                = Prime Minister
| cabinet_deputyleader          = [[Zsolt Semjén]], Deputy Prime Minister
| cabinet_appointer             = National Assembly
| cabinet_hq                    = [[Carmelite Monastery of Buda]]
| cabinet_ministries            = [[Government of Hungary#Current government|15]]
| judiciary                     =
| judiciary_head                =
| courts                        =
| court                         =
| chief_judge                   =
| court_seat                    = 
| court1                        = [[Constitutional Court of Hungary]]
| chief_judge1                  = Imre Juhász
| court_seat1                   = 1015 Budapest, Donáti utca, 35-45.
| court2                        = [[Curia of Hungary]]
| chief_judge2                  = Zsolt András Varga
| court_seat2                   = 1055 Budapest, Markó utca 16.
| civil_service                 =
| leader_cs                     =
| chief_cs                      =
| membership_cs                 =
| auditory                      =
| leader_auditory               =
| chief_auditory                =
| membership_auditory           = 
}}
{{Politics of Hungary}}

The '''politics of Hungary''' take place in a framework of a [[parliamentary system|parliamentary]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] [[parliamentary republic|republic]]. The [[prime minister of Hungary|prime minister]] is the [[head of government]] of a [[plurality voting system|pluriform]] [[multi-party system]], while the [[list of heads of state of Hungary|president]] is the [[head of state]] and holds a largely ceremonial position. As of 2024, The country is considered "[[Electoral autocracy|no longer a full democracy]]" by the [[European Union|EU]], and is generally said to have [[Democratic backsliding|democratically backslid]] since 2010 when the [[Fidesz–KDNP Party Alliance]] led by [[Viktor Orbán]] won a two-third parliamentary [[supermajority]] and adopted a new [[constitution of Hungary]] that have both remained in place since.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bakke |first1=Elisabeth |last2=Sitter |first2=Nick |date=March 2022 |title=The EU's Enfants Terribles: Democratic Backsliding in Central Europe since 2010 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/eus-enfants-terribles-democratic-backsliding-in-central-europe-since-2010/10CE615BAD56E79125E828D321641C0A |journal=Perspectives on Politics |language=en |volume=20 |issue=1 |pages=22–37 |doi=10.1017/S1537592720001292 |issn=1537-5927|hdl=20.500.14018/13797 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

[[Executive power]] is exercised by the [[government of Hungary|government]]. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[forms of government|government]] and the parliament. The party system since the last elections has been dominated by the conservative [[Fidesz]]. The three larger oppositions are [[Democratic Coalition (Hungary)|Democratic Coalition]] (DK), [[Momentum Movement|Momentum]] and [[Jobbik]]; there are also opposition parties with a small fraction in parliament (e.g. [[LMP – Hungary's Green Party|Politics Can Be Different]]). The [[judiciary]] is independent of the executive and the legislature.

[[Hungary]] is an independent state, which has been a member of the [[European Union]] since 2004. Since 1989 Hungary has been a parliamentary republic. Legislative power is exercised by the unicameral [[National Assembly of Hungary|National Assembly]] that consists of 199 members. Members of the National Assembly are elected for four years.

In the April 2022 [[2022 Hungarian parliamentary election|election]], Prime Minister [[Viktor Orbán]] won a fourth consecutive term in office. His party, Fidesz, secured another two-thirds majority in parliament.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Dougall |first1=David Mac |last2=Palfi |first2=Rita |date=3 April 2022 |title=Key Takeaways as Viktor Orbán Wins Fourth Consecutive Term |language=en |work=Euronews |url=https://www.euronews.com/2022/04/03/hungary-election-live-voting-closes-as-viktor-orban-seeks-fifth-term-in-office |access-date=7 May 2022}}</ref>

The longest-serving prime minister is incumbent office-holder [[Viktor Orbán]], who held the position from 6 July 1998 to 27 May 2002 and from 29 May 2010 until present-day. He surpassed Kálmán Tisza as the longest-serving prime minister on 30 November 2020. if the years are counted cumulatively, with 19 years in total as of 2025.
==Executive branch==
{{office-table}}
{{multiple image
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Sulyok Tamás hivatalos portréja (cropped).jpg
| width1            = 166
| caption1          = [[Tamás Sulyok]],<br /><small>[[President of Hungary|President]] since 2024</small>
| image2            = Viktor Orban 2021 crop.jpg
| width2            = 156
| caption2          = [[Viktor Orbán]],<br /><small>[[Prime Minister of Hungary|Prime Minister]] since 2010</small>
}}
|[[List of heads of state of Hungary|President]]
|[[Tamás Sulyok]]
|Independent
|5 March 2024
|-
|[[List of Prime Ministers of Hungary|Prime Minister]]
|[[Viktor Orbán]]
|[[Fidesz]]
|29 May 2010
|}
The [[president of Hungary|president of the republic]], elected by the [[National Assembly (Hungary)|National Assembly]] every five years, has a largely ceremonial role, but they are nominally the [[commander-in-chief]] of the armed forces and their powers include the nomination of the [[prime minister of Hungary|prime minister]], who is to be elected by a majority of the votes of the members of Parliament, based on the recommendation made by the president of the republic. If the president dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to carry out his duties, the [[speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary|speaker of the National Assembly]] becomes acting president.

Due to the [[Constitution of Hungary|Hungarian Constitution]], based on the post-[[World War II]] [[Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany|Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany]], the prime minister has a leading role in the executive branch as he selects [[Cabinet (government)|Cabinet]] ministers and has the exclusive right to dismiss them (similarly to the competences of the German federal chancellor). Each cabinet nominee appears before one or more parliamentary [[committee]]s in consultative open hearings, survive a vote by the Parliament and must be formally approved by the president.

The laws are decided by the [[Diet of Hungary]] and later by the [[National Assembly (Hungary)|National Assembly]].

In Communist Hungary, the executive branch of the [[Hungarian People's Republic]] was represented by the [[Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People's Republic|Council of Ministers]].

==Legislative branch==
{{office-table}}
|[[List of speakers of the National Assembly (Hungary)|Speaker of the National Assembly]]
|[[László Kövér]]
|[[Fidesz]]
|6 August 2010
|}
{{main|Elections in Hungary}}
[[File:Budapest Parlament1.jpg|thumb|[[Parliament of Hungary]].]]
The [[unicameral]], 199-member [[National Assembly (Hungary)|National Assembly]] (''Országgyűlés'') is the highest organ of state authority and initiates and approves legislation sponsored by the prime minister. Its members are elected for a four-year term. The [[election threshold]] is 5%, but it only applies to the multi-seat constituencies and the compensation seats, not the single-seat constituencies.

==Political parties and elections==
{{elect|List of political parties in Hungary|Elections in Hungary|}}
{{#section-h:2022 Hungarian parliamentary election|Results}}
In the 2022 Hungarian election there were two main coalitions as well as some minor parties who had the ability to put together a party list. The two largest were the [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Fidesz–KDNP|FIDESZ-KDNP]] coalition, and the [[big tent]] (mostly from [[Centre-right politics|center-right]] to [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]]) [[United for Hungary]] a coalition which consists of the following parties: [[Democratic Coalition (Hungary)|DK]], [[Hungarian Socialist Party|MSZP]], [[Jobbik]], [[Dialogue – The Greens' Party|Dialogue-The Greens' Party]], [[LMP – Hungary's Green Party|LMP - Hungary's Green Party]], and [[Momentum Movement|Momentum]]. There were also associate parties and movements such as [[New World People's Party|ÚVNP]], [[Hungarian Liberal Party|Liberals]], [[New Start (Hungary)|New Start]], [[Everybody's Hungary People's Party|MMM]], [[99 Movement|99 movement]]. There minor parties mentioned above who were not part of these two coalitions are as folllows: the [[Far-right politics|far-right]] [[Our Homeland Movement]] which also won seats during the 2022 elections, a [[List of frivolous political parties|joke party]] called [[Hungarian Two Tailed Dog Party]], [[Solution Movement|Megoldás Mozgalom]], a party which wants to [[Digitization|digitalize]], and a party called Normális Élet Pártja primarily an [[Anti-vaccine activism|anti-vaccine]] party. Another larger coalition was the so-called [[Leftist Alliance (Hungary)|Leftist Alliance]], comprising the [[Socialism|socilaist]] [[Yes Solidarity for Hungary Movement|ISZOMM]] (Igen Szolidaitás Mozgalom) and the [[Communism|communist]] [[Workers Party (Hungary)|Munkáspárt]], and although they were unable to create a party list due to lacking enough signatures, however they still ran in 66 constituencies according to the electoral commission of Hungary <ref>{{Cite web |title=Nemzeti Választási Iroda - Országgyűlési Választás 2022. |url=https://vtr.valasztas.hu/ogy2022/jelolo-szervezetek/ISZOMM-1019?tab=individual |access-date=2025-06-01 |website=vtr.valasztas.hu |language=hu}}</ref>

==Judicial branches==

[[File:Constitutional Court of Hungary.JPG|thumb|[[Constitutional Court of Hungary]].]]
A fifteen-member [[Constitutional Court of Hungary|Constitutional Court]] has power to challenge legislation on grounds of [[unconstitutionality]]. This body was last filled in July 2010. Members are elected for a term of twelve years. Critics of the ruling coalition contend that since the [[Government of Hungary|Hungarian government]] filled the Constitutional Court with loyal judges, the institution mostly serves to legitimize government interests and has lost its original purpose as democratic defender of the [[rule of law]] and of [[human rights]] - as several reports of independent human rights NGOs, such as the [[Hungarian Helsinki Committee]] emphasize.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://helsinki.hu/en/hungarys-government-has-taken-control-of-the-constitutional-court/ | title=Hungary's Government Has Taken Control of the Constitutional Court | date=25 March 2015 }}</ref>

The president of the [[Curia of Hungary|Supreme Court of Hungary]] ([[Curia of Hungary|Curia]]) and the Hungarian civil and penal legal system he leads is fully independent of the Executive Branch.

The [[attorney general]] or chief [[prosecutor]] of Hungary is currently fully independent of the executive branch, but his status is actively debated.

Several [[ombudsman]] offices exist in Hungary to protect civil, minority, educational and ecological rights in non-judicial matters. They have held the authority to issue legally binding decisions since late 2003.

==Financial branch==
The central bank, the [[Hungarian National Bank]] was fully self-governing between 1990 and 2004, but new legislation gave certain appointment rights to the executive branch in November 2004 which is disputed before the [[Constitutional Court of Hungary|Constitutional Court]].

==Administrative divisions==
Hungary is divided in 19 [[counties of Hungary|counties]] (''megyék'', singular – ''megye''), 23 urban counties* (''megyei jogú városok'', singular – ''megyei jogú város''), and 1 capital city** (''főváros''); [[Bács-Kiskun]], [[Baranya County|Baranya]], [[Békés County|Békés]], [[Békéscsaba]]*, [[Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén]], [[Budapest]]**, [[Csongrád County|Csongrád]], [[Debrecen]]*, [[Dunaújváros]]*, [[Eger]]*, [[Érd]]*, [[Fejér]], [[Győr]]*, [[Győr-Moson-Sopron]], [[Hajdú-Bihar]], [[Heves County|Heves]], [[Hódmezővásárhely]]*, [[Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok]], [[Kaposvár]]*, [[Kecskemét]]*, [[Komárom-Esztergom]], [[Miskolc]]*, [[Nagykanizsa]]*, [[Nógrád County|Nógrád]], [[Nyíregyháza]]*, [[Pécs]]*, [[Pest (city)|Pest]], [[Salgótarján]]*, [[Somogy County|Somogy]], [[Sopron]]*, [[Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg]], [[Szeged]]*, [[Szekszárd]]*, [[Székesfehérvár]]*, [[Szolnok]]*, [[Szombathely]]*, [[Tatabánya]]*, [[Tolna County|Tolna]], [[Vas County|Vas]], [[Veszprém County|Veszprém]], [[Veszprém]]*, [[Zala County|Zala]], [[Zalaegerszeg]]*
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==Involvement in international organisations==
Hungary is a member of the [[Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa|ABEDA]], [[Australia Group]], [[Bank for International Settlements|BIS]], [[Conformité Européenne|CE]], [[Central European Initiative|CEI]], [[CERN]], [[Confederation of European Paper Industries|CEPI]] [[Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council|EAPC]], [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|EBRD]], [[Economic Commission for Europe|ECE]], [[European Union|EU]] (member, as by 1 May 2004), [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[International Atomic Energy Agency|IAEA]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Criminal Court|ICC]], [[International Committee for Radionuclide Metrology|ICRM]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[International Energy Agency|IEA]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies|IFRCS]], [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[Inmarsat]], [[International Telecommunications Satellite Organization|Intelsat]], [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], [[International Olympic Committee|IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[International Trade Union Confederation|ITUC]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] (guest), [[NATO]], [[Nuclear Energy Agency|NEA]], [[Nuclear Suppliers Group|NSG]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]] (observer), [[Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|OECD]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe|OSCE]], [[Permanent Court of Arbitration|PCA]], [[Southeast European Cooperative Initiative|SECI]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|UNESCO]], [[United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus|UNFICYP]], [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission|UNIKOM]], [[United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina|UNMIBH]], [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo|UNMIK]], [[United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia|UNOMIG]], [[United Nations University|UNU]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Customs Organization|WCO]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[Visegrád Group]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]], and the [[Zangger Committee]].

==Ministries==
''Note: with restructuring and reorganisation, this information may change even within a governmental period.''

{| class="wikitable"
|+Ministries of Hungary<ref>{{Cite web |title=Government Members |url=http://www.meh.hu/english/government/members |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040205054538/http://www.meh.hu/english/government/members |archive-date=5 February 2004 |access-date=31 January 2010 |website=The Hungarian Prime Minister's Office}}</ref>
|-
! English name !! Hungarian name !! Minister
|-
| The Prime Minister's Office || Miniszterelnökség || [[Gergely Gulyás]]
|-
| The Prime Minister's Cabinet Office || A Miniszterelnöki Kabinetiroda || [[Antal Rogán]]
|-
| [[Ministry of Interior (Hungary)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]|| Belügyminisztérium || [[Sándor Pintér]]
|-
| [[Minister of Defence of Hungary|Ministry of Defence]] || Honvédelmi Minisztérium || [[Tibor Benkő (military officer)|Tibor Benkő]]
|-
| Ministry of Human Resources || Emberi Erőforrások Minisztériuma || [[Miklós Kásler]]
|-
| [[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Hungary)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade]]|| Külgazdasági és Külügyminisztérium || [[Péter Szijjártó]]
|-
| Ministry of Justice || Igazságügyi Minisztérium || [[Judit Varga (politician)|Judit Varga]]
|-
| [[Ministry of Finance (Hungary)|Ministry of Finance]]|| Pénzügyminisztérium || [[Mihály Varga]]
|-
| [[Ministry of Agriculture (Hungary)|Ministry of Agriculture]]|| Agrárminisztérium || [[István Nagy (politician, born 1967)|István Nagy]]
|-
| Ministry of Innovation and Technology || Innovációs és Technológiai Minisztérium || [[László Palkovics]]
|}

===Ministers without portfolio===

* [[Ministers without portfolio]]: [[János Süli]], [[Andrea Bártfai-Mager]], [[Katalin Novák]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Hungary topics}}
{{Politics of Europe}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics of Hungary}}
[[Category:Politics of Hungary| ]]