June 11th, 2010

Civil groups protest Fidesz proposal on selecting constitutional judges

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Civil groups on Thursday said they objected to a proposal by the Fidesz centre-right government on new rules for selecting constitutional judges, saying the rules would compromise the court’s independence.

In a statement, the groups said that the new rules submitted by Fidesz on Monday would allow the government, which has a two-thirds majority, to select court judges without having to seek broader parliamentary support.

The procedure for selecting judges for the 14-member Constitutional Court currently requires that four-fifths of MPs back the nomination.

Fidesz wants an eight-member selection body comprising members selected in proportion to the power ratio of the parliamentary parties.

The Hungarian Helsinki Commission holds the opinion that it is especially important for judges to be selected on the basis of the broadest possible consensus; Fidesz’s proposal harms the rule of law and endangers the current level of legal protection, said the statement.

The Karoly Eotvos Institute gave warning that the government already had sufficient power to freely change constitutional content without the need for any professional or political agreement with other parties, and it would also have precedence over the Court, too, if the measure were enacted.

Other groups which contributed to the statement include the Hungarian chapter of Berlin-based Transparency International and the Openness Club.

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4 Comments

  1. contemplator says:
    June 11, 2010 at 7:42 am

    This is perfect for the government they appoint the judges, and
    whatever illegal activities they commit they get off because it is
    their judges in power. However, the idea of consensus among the
    political parties in Hungarian is quite laughable. Ah the dilemma….

  2. LHVJ says:
    June 11, 2010 at 10:54 am

    They need a housecleaning to replace the Communist trash from all areas of Hungarian justice system, politics, media and public life.

  3. contemplator says:
    June 11, 2010 at 11:07 am

    one cronie for another cronie, at least lets balance out the
    cronies…

  4. Viking says:
    June 13, 2010 at 8:03 am

    They need a housecleaning to replace the Communist trash from all areas of Hungarian justice system, politics, media and public life.
    LHVJ at June 11, 2010 10:54 AM
    —-
    And that is made best by taking away the issue of consent in Hungarian politics?
    Concentrating power into the hands of the few, especially if they are from the ‘right’ party
    Sounds a bit like to old times, so we do understand you get nostalgic