The Hungarian Parliament has given the green light for Prime Minister Viktor Orban to be able to legislate by ordinance within the framework of an indefinite state of emergency. A measure seen by Hungarian and foreign detractors as an instrument intended to cement government control.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban got the green light from Parliament on Monday to legislate by ordinance in an open-ended state of emergency that the opposition considers "disproportionate" to fight the new coronavirus. In Hungary, but also abroad, the text is seen by its detractors as an instrument intended to cement the control of the national-conservative government, taking the pandemic as a pretext.

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A state of emergency that can be extended indefinitely without the approval of Parliament

The law was adopted by 137 votes for while 53 deputies voted against. It also sets up to five years in prison for spreading "false news" about the virus or government measures, while the few independent media in the country are regularly the subject of such accusations. The new provisions allow the Hungarian leader to extend the state of emergency in force since March 11 indefinitely, without seeking the approval of Parliament.

Under this regime, the government can "suspend the use of certain laws by decree, deviate from the statutory provisions and introduce other extraordinary measures", by government orders, in order to guarantee "health, personal and material security of citizens, as well as the economy. " "We must do everything in our power to stop the spread of the virus. The bill fits perfectly into the Hungarian constitutional framework", defended Justice Minister Judit Varga last week.

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Opposition fears abuse by Viktor Orban

But the policy deployed by Viktor Orban in a decade of power makes the opposition fear that the 56-year-old leader will abuse these exceptional means: since 2010 he has already, according to many independent organizations, multiplied the attacks on the State of law in the field of justice, civil society, freedom of the press. Some parliamentarians opposed to the text did not hesitate to speak of a "coup", of "heading towards dictatorship". For independent deputy Akos Hadhazy, this law is also "a trap for the opposition" accused by the government of being "on the side of the virus".

Opponents of the reform urged the government to limit the state of emergency to a fixed term, as is the case in other EU countries. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs stressed Monday that the bill is time-limited by the power to dismiss Parliament and the pandemic itself, which "will hopefully end one day "he wrote on Twitter. The power to dismiss Parliament is formal, while Viktor Orban's Fidesz party has a two-thirds majority in the assembly.

A situation monitored by the UN and the European Union

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was "following the political developments" in Hungary with concern. The Council of Europe has warned that "an indefinite and uncontrolled state of emergency cannot guarantee respect for the fundamental principles of democracy". Nine press organizations called on European Union leaders to denounce a law "which infringes fundamental rights and freedoms of the media".

"I have clearly told the European whines that I did not have time to discuss doubtless fascinating but theoretical legal questions" when there are "lives to save", for his part swept Viktor Orban. At the start of the epidemic, the Prime Minister blamed the role of immigration in the spread of the virus, saying that it was "mainly foreigners who introduced the disease". Hungary, which closed its borders to foreigners and instituted population containment measures, counted on Monday 447 cases of new coronavirus, which made 15 deaths in this country of 9.7 million inhabitants.

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