Prime Minister Viktor Orban has nominated Laszlo Kover, head of the ruling Fidesz party’s steering board, for Speaker of Parliament, Orban’s spokesman announced on Friday.
Orban has also nominated Mihaly Bihari and Istvan Stumpf to fill the two currently vacant positions in Hungary’s Constitutional Court, said Peter Szijjarto at a press conference. The three opposition parties opposed the candidates and have put forward their own nominations.
Kover would succeed the current speaker, Pal Schmitt, in the post. Schmitt was elected as Hungary’s next president in late June. Incumbent President Laszlo Solyom’s mandate will expire on August 5.
Bihari used to be a member of the Constitutional Court from 1999 to 2008 and presided over it between 2005 and 2008.
Stumpf headed the Prime Minister’s Office during Orban’s first government from 1998 to 2002. Andras Schiffer, parliamentary group leader of the green opposition Politics Can Be Different (LMP) party, said Stumpf was widely unqualified for the position of constitutional judge, due to his lack of experience. He added that it was also unfortunate that the prime minister had nominated one of his earlier deputies for such a post. LMP’s own candidates are Gyula Bandi, Csilla Kollonay Lehoczky and Mihaly Toth, Schiffer said, adding that they had wished to give a choice of three highly qualified candidates whom other parties would be able to endorse as well.
Spokesman for the main opposition Socialists, Istvan Nyako, called the nomination of Kover and Stumpf “a tragedy” and said that three top members of Fidesz’s national caucus would be filling three top jobs, (in reference to Schmitt’s presidential nomination) which is “the equivalent of having a single-party state”.
“Stumpf’s nomination is the icing on the cake,” Nyako added. At a press conference on Friday the Socialists presented their own nominee for constitutional judge, Roza Meszar. Gabor Simon, a Socialist MP, said his party was critical of Fidesz’s nomination procedures which threatened to change an earlier parity system used in the process.
The opposition radical nationalist Jobbik party named its candidate, Zsolt Zetenyi, for membership of the constitutional court. Jobbik MP Tamas Gaudi-Nagy expressed concern over Stumpf’s nomination, and said that Fidesz was “putting party cadres into positions which ought to serve the protection of constitutional guarantees”. Fidesz’s parliamentary group will discuss the prime minister’s proposals on Monday. Parliament is scheduled to vote on the candidates next Thursday.
it appears that hungarys constitutional court
becomes a “party” court.
Why actually constitution has to be changed and
if yes what has to be changed?Is there anyone involved in formulating and proposing new const laws besides
the small group of secretive party members?
Does actually anyone care in Hungary what happens
here???
Let’s pretend for a moment that Orban knows what he’s doing, and he means what he says. In that case, more power to him.
Major changes needed, the sooner the better, there’s no time to argue with the opposition and special interests. 20 years of going the wrong way at full speed cannot be reversed in a few months, so give it some time, see what happens.
I have a few original ideas for amendments to the new Constitution:
1. Freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and petition.
2. The right to keep and bear arms (this would help protect the 1st. Amendment)
3. The inalienable individual right to decide what you eat, drink, smoke, and what medications you take.
4. Interdiction of unreasonable searches and seizures.
5. Rights to a fair and speedy public trial, to a notice of accusations, to confront the accuser, to subpoenas, and to counsel.
I have a few more if needed…
@Uncommonly insensible: Orbán has spent two months playing around with these things, when the country has plenty of real problems and issues to deal with. He’s carried on exactly where he left off and has made absolutely clear to everyone that he has learnt absolutely nothing – quite the contrary, his brain and mentality are ossified and inaccessible to reason. He certainly know how to piss people off doesn’t he http://hvg.hu/vilag/20100719_washington_post_orban (there was a story posted here from HATC, but it was pulled http://www.politics.hu/20100720/washington-post-says-orban-may-not-be-welcome, though it’s up on xpatloop if anyone wants to degrade themselves by popping over there). Why the fuck go with the begging bowl and when you are told to fuck off and grow up first, come over all falsely proud? Nem erőszak a disznótor!
The US should stop posing as the defender of human rights and democracy. They spend a trillion borrowed dollars a year on terrorizing the world, they ignore privacy, due process, they buy or intimidate the leaders of sovereign countries, etc.
Come to think of it, let’s make Obama and Hillary persona non grata in Hungary. Why not? It would get us some media attention.
I have a few original ideas for amendments to the new Constitution:
1. Freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and petition
Common Sense at July 20, 2010 1:31 PM
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As long as you do not speak against The Great Führer Gábor Zázrivecz (aka Vona), who ‘bob’ earlier described as a “genius”
Seems like you are getting fewer and fewer subscribing to that idea
@ Viking
I didn’t read Bob’s comment that Vona was a genius but IMHO, I think he is far from it
Unless Hungary is located on a different planet, the aim of every political party in a Democracy is to increase its membership and potential voters.
From what I am reading in the Hungarian, Canadian and American press is that JOBBIK and the MG are a “couple” and a “divorce” would benefit Vona’s
racist agenda.
I believe if he dropped the whole idea of the MG, many luke-warm racists (the ones who dislike his targeted minorities as opposed to hating them) would be much more open to JOBBIK
Thus, if one hates the JOBBIK party, the constant championing of the MG must be welcome.
@Vándorló: “Why the fuck go with the begging bowl and when you are told to fuck off and grow up…” Asking the undead to suck less blood ain’t ‘going with the begging bowl,’ my friend… “Nem erőszak a disznótor!” Csakhogy ebben az esetben a disznótor inkább libatömés… Egyébként a Schmitt kinevezéstől eltekintve Orbán minden eddigi lépésével egyetértek. Ha így folytatja kénytelen leszek megváltoztatni a velémenyemet róla