
Here's why the Fundamental Law amendment is needed
The amendment covers a wide spectrum of issues, including child protection, gender identity, citizenship, national emergency powers, and community self-defense, and aims to future-proof Hungary's constitutional framework.
At the heart of the amendment is the explicit prioritization of children's rights. A newly added provision states that 'every child has the right to the protection and care necessary for their proper physical, intellectual, and moral development,' and that this right supersedes all other fundamental rights, except the right to life.
Government lawmakers view this change as a constitutional safeguard against ideological influences that they argue threaten the well-being of children, particularly in the context of events like Pride parades.
The amendment also defines legal sex as immutable, stating that a person is either male or female and that this status cannot be legally altered. According to governing party representatives, this is not an attack on individual self-expression, but a clarification that legal norms are based on biological reality—an approach intended to ensure coherence in state administration and social organization.
Another significant element concerns national sovereignty. The government argues that dual nationals receiving foreign support could pose a risk to Hungary's independence. As such, the amendment would allow for the suspension of Hungarian citizenship under specific legal conditions to be determined by a cardinal law. This change is part of a broader effort to counter what officials describe as foreign-funded political pressure networks that undermine Hungarian democracy and sovereignty.
Emergency powers are also addressed. While the existing system allowing the government to declare a state of emergency remains intact, the amendment limits executive power by requiring a two-thirds parliamentary mandate for suspending laws or deviating from them. This ensures that even in extraordinary situations, checks and balances remain in place—except when the parliament explicitly permits broader powers for up to six months.
Additionally, the amendment lays the constitutional groundwork for local self-defense. Municipalities would gain the right to protect their communities' identity by regulating real estate transactions and imposing local residency or tax conditions. This provision is intended to shield localities from demographic or economic pressures that might erode community cohesion.
The Fundamental Law will also now guarantee the right to cash payments, alongside the existing right to property and inheritance, and explicitly ban drugs in all forms—from production to promotion.
These changes are necessary to preserve national sovereignty, protect vulnerable communities, and ensure legal stability amid increasing foreign influence and ideological pressure. This amendment is a reaffirmation that Hungary belongs to Hungarians—legally, culturally, and constitutionally.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Budapest Times
2 days ago
- Budapest Times
FM: Attacks on minorities in Syria are ‘unacceptable'
Concerning recent reports from Syria of 'further brutal attacks on minorities including Christians', Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said such developments were 'unacceptable' and called on the international community to 'firmly stand up' to such attacks. The minister said on Facebook on Saturday that he had discussed the situation with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, and 'agreed that the attacks against minorities in Syria must be firmly condemned'. Minister Szijjártó said all Christian communities in a difficult situation could rely on the Hungarian government, and welcomed recent talks between the Vatican and Israel concerning 'the sad developments in recent days.' The Hungarian government is sending another 10 million forints to help the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the minister added.


Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Budapest Times
Hungarian government bans three Ukrainian officials from Hungary
Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the government has banned three Ukrainian officials from Hungary, saying they were responsible for forced conscription in Ukraine. He added that the ministry had earlier proposed that they be placed on a European Union sanctions list. The ministry cited Minister Szijjártó as commenting on the case of József Sebestyén, who had been recently beaten to death during forced conscription in Ukraine. Minister Szijjártó told a press conference after a meeting of a Hungarian-Uzbek mixed committee that the Council of Europe had confirmed reports of physical violence and torture during conscription in Ukraine. Minister Szijjártó said that since a Hungarian had fallen victim to this, the government on Wednesday proposed placing three persons on a sanctions list in Brussels. The officials in question are the chief of staff of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, the commander of the Western Operational Command and the head of the mobilization Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 'While this is being done, we arranged today that all three persons should be banned from Hungary,' he said. In response to a question, he said that freezing Hungary-Ukraine relations would bring great problems to Ukraine because Hungary was currently the largest electricity supplier of the neighbouring country, and several hundred million cubic metres of natural gas arrived in Ukraine from Hungary. Minister Szijjártó added that in such situations, the international public and liberal politicians often tried to find scapegoats. 'It was not we who took away the Ukrainian minority's rights in Hungary. It was not we who stopped oil transports last year. It is not in Hungary that Ukrainian temples are set to fire. And it was not a Ukrainian who died during conscription in Hungary'.


Budapest Times
3 days ago
- Budapest Times
Prime minister meets UAE President during his first official visit to Hungary
During the visit, Hungary signed 14 agreements with the UAE that will create new opportunities in the two countries' relations. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met President of the United Arab Emirates Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his first official visit to Hungary in Budapest on Thursday. During the visit, Hungary signed 14 agreements with the UAE that will create new opportunities in the two countries' relations, primarily in the areas of energy, agriculture and food industry, defence industry, telecommunications and new technologies, the statement said. The Ministry for National Economy signed three agreements with the UAE, including one on finding new investment opportunities with the global investment company Mubadala, and one on identifying opportunities for cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Investment involving data centres and artificial intelligence projects. Energy links are expected to intensify as a result of Hungary's Energy Ministry signing an agreement with the UAE's Ministry of Investment and the Masdar company on cooperation in the area of green and renewable energy, and storage capacities for renewable energy. An agreement between the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture and the UAE's Ministry of Investment is expected to give new impetus to cooperation in the food industry and agriculture, helping Hungarian technologies reach a market in the UAE. The Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development signed an agreement with the UAE's Ministry of Cabinet Affairs on sharing government development and modernisation experiences, and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation signed a memorandum of understanding with the UAE Ministry of Family on deepening cooperation in family and youth policies. In addition to government agreements, cooperation between companies in the two countries will also be expanded. On the sidelines of the visit, the Budapest Stock Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange signed a cooperation agreement.