The rights and obligations of Members of the National Assembly

The legal status of Members; the exercise of Members' rights

Members of the National Assembly shall be elected by universal and equal suffrage in a direct and secret ballot, in elections which guarantee the free expression of the will of the voters, in the manner laid down in a cardinal Act [Article 2 [1) of the Fundamental Law].

Unless an exception is provided for in an Act or the Rules of Procedure Resolution, Members shall exercise their Member’s rights in person [Section 28 (5) of the Act].

Committee members shall attend the sittings of the committee in person or through proxy holders [Section 20 (1) of the Act].

Right to be elected as officers – right to form organisations

Unless an exception is provided for in this Act, any Member may be elected to the offices of the National Assembly or into the parliamentary committees [Section 28 (3) of the Act].

As defined in Section 2 (1)–(3) of the Resolution, the right to form a parliamentary group inures to Members of the National Assembly belonging to the same party provided that it had nominated a party list and won mandates in the most recent general election or, to Members belonging to a legal successor to that party. Members of the National Assembly belonging to parties that nominated a common party list and won mandates in the most recent general election, or to legal successors to those parties shall be entitled to form a joint or independent parliamentary group in accordance with the provisions of Section 2 (1) and (3) of the Resolution [Section 1 (1) of the Resolution].

The Members may, for purposes related to the Members’ activities, form other groups that do not qualify as parliamentary groups (Section 6 of the Resolution).

Rights and obligations to participate and attend

Members shall have the right and obligation to participate in a proactive manner in the work of the National Assembly, and to facilitate its successful operation. Members shall be obliged to attend the sittings of the National Assembly and of parliamentary committees they are members of [Section 28 (1) of the Act].

With the exception of the members of the Government, the political director of the Prime Minister, and State Secretaries, every Member shall be offered the possibility to participate in the work of at least one of the committees referred to in section 14 (1) a) [Section 17 (2) of the Act].

The language of deliberation at the sittings of the National Assembly and parliamentary committees shall be Hungarian. Members belonging to a national minority, national minority Members and national minority advocates may speak in their mother tongue and may submit parliamentary papers in their mother tongue [Section 38/B (1)–(2) of the Act].[2]

They may also request that their remarks made pursuant to Section 38/B (2) of the Act be recorded in the report of proceedings in their mother tongue [Section 131 (4) of the Resolution].

A Member may use the Hungarian sign language in the speech delivered by him or her [Section 38/C (1) of the Act].

Any Member or national minority advocate may apply for taking the floor in an extraordinary matter after the discussion of the items on the orders of the day of the sitting day [Section 18 (9) of the Resolution].

Procedural proposals may be made for a duration of not more than one minute by any Member concerning the orders of the day or the discussed item on the orders of the day [Section 19 (1) of the Resolution].

At the request of the Member or the national minority advocate, the chair of the sitting, if he or she considers it justified, may give the floor to the personally affected Member or national minority advocate because of his or her personal concern in any debate of fixed discussion order [Section 20 (1) of the Resolution].

During the discussion of a substantive motion and during a political debate, the proposer, the principal speaker of the parliamentary group, the Member or the national minority advocate registered in advance in writing for taking the floor in the debate [Section 23 (1) of the Resolution].

Members may apply for taking the floor during the general debate on a legislative proposal [Section 35 (1) of the Resolution].

If the National Assembly closed the debate, it may be addressed by the following [pursuant to Section 39 (2) of the Resolution):

  • one Member from each parliamentary group;
  • in the case of an item on the orders of the day affecting the interests or rights of national minorities, the national minority Member who was the first to apply for taking the floor;
  • the independent Member who was the first to apply for taking the floor; and
  • in the case of an item on the orders of the day affecting the interests or rights of national minorities, if no national minority Member has taken the floor, the national minority advocate who was the first to apply for taking the floor.

If a proposal for amendment before the final vote has been submitted, the National Assembly shall hold a debate on the report before the final vote and on the proposal for amendment before the final vote [pursuant to Section 54 (3) of the Resolution):

  • the Members from each parliamentary group for five minutes each;
  • in the case of an item on the orders of the day affecting the interests or rights of national minorities, the national minority Member or national minority advocate called upon by the committee representing the national minorities for five minutes;
  • in the case of an item on the orders of the day related to European Union issues, the Member of the European Parliament, and
  • the independent Members for a total of three minutes.

After the proposer has spoken on a subject entered in the Order Book, he or she may speak again in response to remarks that may be made by the following [pursuant to Section 58 (6) of the Resolution):

  • one Member of the National Assembly from each parliamentary group;
  • the national minority MP or national minority advocate invited to speak on behalf of the Committee on National Minorities in Hungary on an item on the orders of the day affecting national minority interests or rights; and
  • the first independent Member to register to take the floor.

During a debate on a proposed constitutional review, the following may assert their respective positions:

  • a Member of the National Assembly from each parliamentary group representing the position of that group;
  • the national minority MP or national minority advocate invited to speak on behalf of the Committee on National Minorities in Hungary on an item on the orders of the day affecting national minority interests or rights; and
  • the first independent Member to register to take the floor.

The proposer of a constitutional review has the right to respond prior to the vote [Section 76 (11)–(12) of the Resolution].

Members who propose amendments to a proposed decision may participate in the committee meeting that has the detailed debate of the single motion on its draft agenda [Section 111 (2) of the Resolution].

If Parliament is requested to make a decision on an opinion adopted by the Committee on the Rules of Procedure, a Member from the parliamentary group that made the motion and an independent Member may take the floor first during the plenary discussion. One Member from each parliamentary group may assert the position of the parliamentary group, and the first independent Member to register to take the floor may also express an opinion. A Member from the parliamentary group that made the motion, an independent Member and a speaker designated by the Committee on the Rules of Procedure may take the floor to respond to the remarks made pursuant to para. (1) [Section 138 (1)–(2) of the Resolution].

While the report of proceedings is made available to the public, Members may request rectification of their remarks erroneously placed in the report [Section 131 (3) of the Resolution].

If, after casting votes electronically, a Member believes that the electronic log does not represent the vote the Member intended, the Member may notify the notaries of the National Assembly [Section 25 (7) of the Resolution].

Rights to access and provide information

Members of the National Assembly may address interpellations or questions to the Government or any of its members about any matter within their functions [Article 7 (2) of the Fundamental Law].

Members of the National Assembly may address questions to the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the President of the State Audit Office, the Prosecutor General or the Governor of the Hungarian National Bank on any matter within their functions [Article 7 (1) of the Fundamental Law].

Members may ask prompt questions during the hour for prompt questions in the order set by the leader of their parliamentary group [Section 125 (2) of the Resolution].

When asking a prompt question, Members may request that the addressee answer personally [Section 126 (2) and [4) of the Resolution].

Members are permitted three minutes to make an interpellation and one minute to make a statement of acceptance or rejection of the response. Members have two minutes to ask regular questions. Members have two minutes to ask prompt questions and one minute to follow up on the response [Section 123 (1), 124 (4)b) and 126 (3) of the Resolution].

Members may withdraw an interpellation no later than just before they begin to make it [Section 122 (5) of the Resolution].

The following may take the floor during the plenary discussion of the committee report on the response to an interpellation: the speaker selected by the designated committee; the individual asserting the minority opinion; the Member submitting the interpellation; the addressee; one Member from each parliamentary group; and the first independent Member to register to take the floor [Section 123 (5) of the Resolution].

State organs shall assist Members in the fulfilment of their mandate, and provide Members with the information necessary for their work [Section 98 (1) of the Act].

By way of derogation from the provisions of the Act on the protection of classified data, a Member may use the classified data necessary for performing his or her duties without personal security clearance, on the basis of an authorisation for use, after completing a confidentiality statement, and shall be obliged to comply with the requirements related to the protection of classified data [Section 98 (2) of the Act].

Members shall be entitled to use, through the Office of the National Assembly, free of charge postal and electronic telecommunications services necessary for performing the Member’s activities. Members shall be entitled to use, through the Office of the National Assembly, mobile telephone services up to 5% of amount of their honorarium. the appropriate mobile telephone device shall be provided by the Office of the National Assembly. The Office of the National Assembly shall not provide financial cover for the use of parking services for waiting according to the Act on road transport with the help of the device, through mobile payment. The Office of the National Assembly shall provide the possibility and the conditions for Members to use electronic signature [Section 111 (4)–(6) of the Act].

Members may view the report of proceedings at the office of the clerk over a period of three days after the certified report is posted for public display and may request rectification of their erroneously recorded remarks from the floor [Section 132 (6) of the Resolution].

The Diary of the National Assembly shall be sent to Members within 15 days after the procedure described in Section 131 (3) of the Act [Section 131 (5) of the Resolution].

Access to European Union drafts laid down in the Act on the National Assembly and any other documents Parliament receives from the institutions of the European Union shall be made available to Members of the National Assembly, parliamentary groups, national minority advocates and the staff of the Office of the National Assembly [Section 139 (1) of the Resolution].

Members of the National Assembly are authorised to enter areas reserved for the operation of the police, border guard, civil defence force and fire brigade upon presenting their Member identity cards for inspection and identifying the purpose of the visit in full compliance with the operating procedures of the organisation [pursuant to Interior Ministry Decree 2/1993 (2 February 1993) on granting access to Members of the National Assembly to areas reserved for the operation of the police, border guard, civil defence force and fire brigade].

Members of the National Assembly are authorised to enter areas reserved for the operation of high-, medium- and low-level organs of the Customs and Excise Guard upon presenting their Member identity cards for inspection and identifying the purpose of the visit in full compliance with the operating procedures of the organisation [pursuant to Finance Ministry Decree 19/1993 (1 July 1993) on granting access to Members of the National Assembly to areas reserved for the Customs and Excise Guard].

Members of the National Assembly are authorised to enter the facilities of the Information Authority upon presenting their Member identity cards for inspection and identifying the purpose of the visit in full compliance with the operating procedures of the Authority during office hours on business days [pursuant to Decree 1/1996 (19 June 1996) issued by a Minister without Portfolio on the rules for entering the facilities of civil national security services].

Right to make proposals and motions

Regarding the operation of Parliament

The National Assembly shall be convened to hold an extraordinary session or sitting upon a written request to that effect by one-fifth of the Members of the National Assembly [Section 35 (1) of the Act].

The sittings of the National Assembly shall be public. At the request of the Government or of any Member of the National Assembly, and with the votes of two thirds of the Members of the National Assembly, the National Assembly may decide to hold a sitting in camera [Article 5 (1) of the Fundamental Law].

A Member may request an ad hoc opinion from the Committee on the Rules of Procedure when a document submitted by the Member is rejected and the Member's request is supported by at least five Members of the National Assembly [Section 29 (4) of the Resolution].

A Member may request that the National Assembly make a decision, as described in Section 61 (5) of Act XXXVI of 2012 on the National Assembly when a document submitted by the Member is rejected and the Member's request is supported by at least five Members of the National Assembly [Section 29 (5) of the Resolution].

Upon a motion submitted in writing by at least one-fifth of the Members of the National Assembly, Parliament holds a debate on the comprehensive policy topic identified in the motion [Section 86 (1) of the Resolution].

In response to a motion made by a Member of the National Assembly or another speaker from the floor, the Speaker may order an abridged version of the minutes of a sitting in camera, such that it does not contain classified information, personal data, trade secrets or any other data accorded protection under law [Section 133 (5) of the Resolution].

One fifth of the Members may initiate the setting-up of a committee of inquiry [Section 24 (2) of the Act].

Regarding personnel decisions of the National Assembly

The election of the President of the Republic shall be preceded by nomination. For a nomination to be valid, the written recommendation of at least one fifth of the Members of the National Assembly shall be required. Nominations shall be submitted to the Speaker of the National Assembly before the vote is ordered. Every Member of the National Assembly may recommend one candidate. If a Member of the National Assembly recommends more than one candidate, all recommendations of that Member shall be invalid [Article 11 (2) of the Fundamental Law].

If the President of the Republic intentionally violates the Fundamental Law or, in connection with performing his or her office, any Act, and if he or she commits an intentional criminal offence, one fifth of the Members of the National Assembly may propose his or her removal from office [Article 13 (2) of the Fundamental Law].

They may submit a motion to establish that circumstances prevent the President of the Republic from fulfilling his or her presidential duties for over ninety days, or that the conditions required for electing the President are not met, or to declare a conflict of interest [Section 3 and 4 (2) of Act CX of 2011].

One fifth of the Members of the National Assembly may, together with the designation of a candidate for the office of Prime Minister, submit a written motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister [Article 21 (1) of the Fundamental Law].

They may submit a written motion to declare a Prime Minister's conflict of interest or to establish that the conditions for electing the Prime Minister are not met (Section 24 of the Act on the Status of Members of the National Assembly).

They may submit a motion to declare the termination of the appointment of, and the removal from office of, the Parliamentary Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners for Fundamental Rights upon failure to eliminate the causes of a conflict of interest [Section 16 (4)–(5) and 17 (4)–(5) of the Act on Ombudsmen].

Regarding legislation and making policy statements

Members may initiate Acts [Section 6 (1) of the Fundamental Law].[3]
Members may submit proposed resolutions.
Members may submit a proposed policy statement [Section 82 (1) of the Resolution].
Members may submit proposed amendments to:

  • laws [Section 40 (1) of the Resolution) by 16.00 on the third day after the date of the sitting which approved the orders of the day that include the general debate on the proposed legislation as an item [Section 41 (1) of the Resolution);[4]
  • proposed resolutions [Section 80 (1) of the Resolution); and
  • policy statements [Section 82 (1) of the Resolution].

Rights regarding labour law and social security

The employer shall grant unpaid leave to a Member from the day of his or her oathtaking for the duration of his or her mandate or for a part of it, in accordance with the employee’s request [Section 96 (2) of the Act].

If the Member served on the day of his or her election as a prosecutor, or in government service, public service, public employment relationship, in tax and customs authority service, law enforcement administration service or national defence employment relationship, as an employee of an administrative organ, or in a relationship under the Act on the legal status of soldiers or the Act on the service relationship of the professional personnel of organs performing law enforcement duties, he or she shall be placed, at his or her written request filed within thirty days of the termination of his or her Member’s mandate, in a position befitting his or her qualification and educational attainment [Section 96 (3) of the Act].

The period covered by the mandate of a Member of the National Assembly, including the period of service provided after the expiry of the mandate, shall with regard to eligibility for social security benefits qualify as time spent in employment of 40 hours per week and as pensionable service time [Section 97 (1) of the Act].

The period of employment shall qualify as service time with regard to the calculation of the time spent in government service, public service, public employment, tax and customs authority service, law enforcement administration service, national defence employment, court and prosecution service relationship [Section 97 (1) of the Act].

The period of employment shall qualify as service time with regard to the calculation of the time spent in service relationship under the Act on the legal status of soldiers and the Act on the service relationship of the professional personnel of organs performing law enforcement duties [Section 97 (1) of the Act].

The period of the activity of a Member and the Principal of the House shall qualify as time spent in management position. In calculating the time spent in management position, the period of holding the mentioned positions shall be taken into account [Section 97 (2) of the Act].

If the Member holds the office of the Speaker, Prime Minister, Minister, the political director of the Prime Minister, State Secretary, Government Commissioner, Prime Ministerial Commissioner, Prime Ministerial Delegate or Ministerial Commissioner, this office shall be taken into account with regard to his or her eligibility for social security benefits [Section 97 (3) of the Act].

Other rights

A Member of the National Assembly is entitled to a diplomatic passport [Section 12 (1)b) of Act XII of 1998 on Travel Abroad].

The obligations of Members of the National Assembly

Members shall have the right and obligation to participate in a proactive manner in the work of the National Assembly, and to facilitate its successful operation. Members shall be obliged to attend the sittings of the National Assembly and of parliamentary committees they are members of [Section 28 (1) of the Act].

Members shall be obliged to be present at the votes in the National Assembly [Section 28 (2) of the Act].

When filing a mother tongue parliamentary paper, the certified Hungarian translation of a parliamentary paper shall be submitted along with the parliamentary paper concerned [Section 38/B (4) of the Act].

Members shall be obliged to notify the Speaker of any violation of their immunity without delay. A Member shall be obliged to inform the court or authority acting in a procedure against him or her of his or her Member’s mandate without delay (Section 76 of the Act).

The restriction under paragraph 87 (1) shall not apply to benefits and assets received for free use that the National Assembly, the Member’s political party or parliamentary group, or a foundation performing, for supporting the work of political parties, scientific, awarenessraising, research or educational activities provides to a Member as necessary for, or closely related to, the performance of the Member’s work [Section 87 (2) of the Act].

Members shall be obliged to eliminate the cause of incompatibility and conflict of interests within thirty days of oath-taking, the occurrence of incompatibility and conflict of interests, or of becoming aware of it, and shall inform the Speaker of it without delay; the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker shall be obliged to eliminate the cause of incompatibility and conflict of interests within thirty days of his or her election in office, and shall inform the Speaker of it without delay [Section 91 (1) of the Act].

Should the mandate of a Member terminate on the basis of a resolution of the National Assembly, the Member shall be obliged to pay back to the National Assembly the remuneration he or she had received from the date of emergence of incompatibility and conflict of interests until the termination of his or her mandate [Section 93 (3) of the Act].

Upon a call by the Committee on Immunity in the procedure related to the declaration of assets, the Member shall, in writing and without delay, supply the data supporting the circumstances as regards income and economic interests indicated in his or her declaration of assets. Access to the data shall be restricted to the members of the Committee on Immunity [Section 94 (5) of the Act].

By way of derogation from the provisions of the Act on the protection of classified data, a Member may use the classified data necessary for performing his or her duties without personal security clearance, on the basis of an authorisation for use, after completing a confidentiality statement, and shall be obliged to comply with the requirements related to the protection of classified data [Section 98 (2) of the Act].

Members shall indicate in their proposed amendments the committee to which they apply for a discussion of the proposed amendment [Section 41 (1)–(2) of the Resolution].

Obligation to submit a declaration of property and other statements

A Member shall make a declaration of assets with the information and in a form set out in Annex 1 within thirty days of his or her oath-taking and according to the circumstances on the day of oath-taking, with the proviso that in the event of a change in the data included in the declaration of assets, the Member shall notify the Committee on Immunity of the change within thirty days after the change [Section 90 (1) of the Act].

Members shall refrain from accepting, in connection with their mandate, any gifts or similar benefits, other than those with an approximate value of less than 5% of the Member’s honorarium given in accordance with courtesy usage or those given to them when they are representing the National Assembly in an official capacity. [Section 87 (1) of the Act)

Should a Member fail to make the declaration of assets, he or she shall not be allowed to exercise his or her Member’s rights and shall not receive honorarium, until he or she submits the declaration of assets. The fact of failing to make the declaration of assets shall be established by the National Assembly (Section 90 (3) of the Act).

Conflict of interests

A Member’s mandate shall be incompatible with any other state, local government and economic office or position, except for those specified in Section 80 of the Act.

A Member may not be

  • a sole or majority owner, senior officer or senior executive at a financial institution operating in the financial sector as defined in the Act on the Capital Market;
  • a member or shareholder with an ownership interest in a business organisation not classified as a transparent organisation under the Act on National Assets;
  • an executive or member of an institution or a person involved in preparing or making decisions at an institution that has been established for the purpose of awarding support based on ad hoc decisions and drawn from either the central budget subsystem, European Union funds or other programmes financed under international treaties to non-budgetary natural persons, legal entities and other organisations without legal personality, other than cooperatively owned residential buildings (Section 84 of the Act).

From the day of his or her election and until two years after the termination of his or her mandate, a Member shall not conclude a purchase agreement on acquiring shares in a business organisation over which the Hungarian State or a foreign state, a local government, association of local governments, foreign municipality, political party, or a domestic or foreign religious community has direct or indirect exclusive or majority control (Section 85 of the Act).

Members shall not acquire or use confidential information unlawfully by using their Member’s mandate [Section 86 (2) of the Act].

Members shall refrain from accepting, in connection with their mandate, any gifts or similar benefits, other than those with an approximate value of less than 5% of the Member’s honorarium given in accordance with courtesy usage or those given to them when they are representing the National Assembly in an official capacity. [Section 87 (1) of the Act)

A Member shall be declared disqualified for incompatibility from serving as a Member if

during his or her mandate he or she has been convicted of felony with final and binding effect, except if he or she has been excluded from participating in public affairs,

after the available legal remedies have been exhausted, he or she has a public due payable to the State, and does not settle the debt within sixty days of the receipt of the relevant notification or, in the case of having payment in installments or days of grace granted, in accordance with the provisions of the granting decision. (Section 88 of the Act).

Members may submit a motion to initiate conflict of interest proceedings or to declare a conflict of interest [Section 91 (4) and 149 (5) of the Act].

If a Member attends the sitting held to declare that Member's conflict of interest, the Member shall be heard if he/she so requests and shall be granted an opportunity to present evidence; however, that Member may not otherwise be present at the meeting of the body of inquiry [Section 150 (3) of the Resolution].

The chairperson of the committee responsible for immunity, conflicts of interest, discipline and mandates notifies the Member involved that his/her conflict of interest case is being discussed, as well as when and where the proceedings are to be held. If the Member attends, the Member shall be heard if he/she so requests; however, the Member may not otherwise be present at the committee sitting [Section 151 (5) of the Resolution].

In the sitting of Parliament during which the conflict of interest is declared, the Member may take the floor for five minutes before the declaration [Section 152 (3) of the Resolution].

Immunity

Members of the National Assembly shall be entitled to immunity and to remuneration ensuring their independence [Article 4 (2) of the Fundamental Law].

A Member

a) may be detained or another coercive measure under criminal procedural law may be applied against him or her only if he or she is caught in the act of committing a criminal offence,

b) may be detained or another coercive measure under infraction proceedings may be applied against him or her only if he or she is caught in the act of committing an infraction, provided that the conditions required by an Act for imposing infraction detention are met [Section 74 (2) of the Act].

A Member may not waive immunity, save in infraction proceedings. This right of Members shall be respected by everyone [Section 78 of the Act].

Upon the suspension of a Member's immunity, the Member may take the floor for two minutes prior to the orders of the day to notify Parliament of the final and binding completion of the proceedings [Section 18 (8) of the Resolution].

Upon a Member's request, the Member shall be heard at the meeting of the committee responsible for immunity, conflicts of interest, discipline and mandates when it convenes to discuss the violation of the Member's immunity. The Member may not otherwise be present at the committee sitting [Section 146 (3) of the Resolution].

The Member may take the floor for five minutes to discuss his/her immunity case before Parliament votes [Section 147 (2) of the Resolution].

The rights and obligations of national minority advocates

National minorities nominating a list of candidates but failing to win mandates are represented in the National Assembly by a national minority advocate. The national minority advocate shall be the candidate heading the national minority list [Section 18 (1)–(2) of Act CCIII of 2011 on the Election of Members of the National Assembly].

In the event that the mandate of a national minority advocate terminates, the position will pass to a candidate selected by the national minority self-governing body or the candidate occupying the next position on the original national minority list. If no more candidates appear on the national minority list, the particular national minority will have no representation by a national minority advocate in Parliament until the mandate of the National Assembly terminates [Section 20 (3) of Act CCIII of 2011 on the Election of Members of the National Assembly].

National minority advocates shall not be the president or member of a self-government of a national minority [Section 29/A (5) of the Act].

National minority advocates shall have equal rights and obligations, they shall perform their activities in the interest of the public and the national minority concerned, and shall not be given instructions in that respect [Section 29 (1) of the Act].

National minority advocates may choose to take the oath before the National Assembly in Hungarian or in the national minority language upon being elected [Section 1 (2) of the Oath Act].

In contrast to a Member of the National Assembly, the mandate of a national minority advocate terminates if he or she is no longer eligible to be voted for at the election of the Members of the National Assembly, or if he or she is no longer recorded in the central electoral register as a national minority voter [Section 29/A (2) of the Act].

The votes of two-thirds of the Members present shall be required for establishing, that a national minority advocate is no longer eligible to be voted for at the election of the Members of the National Assembly, is no longer recorded in the central electoral register as a national minority voter, as well as for declaring incompatibility and conflict of interests of the national minority advocate [Section 61/A (2) of the Act].

National minority advocates may speak at the sittings of the National Assembly if the House Committee considers that the agenda item affects the interests or rights of national minorities. In an extraordinary matter, following the discussion of the agenda items, national minority advocates may speak in the manner determined in the Rules of Procedure Resolution. National minority advocates shall have no right to vote at the sittings of the National Assembly [Section 29 (2) of the Act].

National minority advocates may address questions to the Government, any member of the Government, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the President of the State Audit Office, and the Prosecutor General about matters within their functions that affect the interests or rights of national minorities [Section 29 (4) of the Act].

National minority advocates may submit proposed resolutions on matters affecting the interests and rights of national minorities [Section 29/A (6) of the Act].

The Committee on National Minorities in Hungary may request that a proposed resolution rejected by the committee designated to enter items in the Order Book be entered in the Order Book nonetheless [Section 81 (4) of the Resolution].

Members belonging to a national minority, national minority Members and national minority advocates may speak in their mother tongue and may submit parliamentary papers in their mother tongue [Section 38/B (2) of the Act].

The intention to speak shall be indicated not later than 12 o’clock on the working day before the sitting day or the committee’s sitting where the speech is to be delivered; if the agenda is adopted in an amended form compared to the draft preliminary agenda, such indication shall be made without delay after the amended agenda is established [Section 38/B (3) of the Act].

When filing a mother tongue parliamentary paper, the certified Hungarian translation of a parliamentary paper shall be submitted along with the parliamentary paper concerned [Section 38/B (4) of the Act].

National minority advocates have one minute to make a point of order on an item on the orders of the day affecting national minority interests or rights [Section 19 (1) of the Resolution].

National minority advocates shall be allowed to speak for at least 20 minutes on an item on the orders of the day affecting nationality interests or rights, which will not be counted against the time allotted [Section 37 (2)g) of the Resolution].

National minority advocates may take the floor for eight minutes during combined debates of matters affecting the interests and rights of national minorities and discussed as part of an extraordinary procedure [Section 63 (3) of the Resolution].

National minority advocates shall participate with a right to vote in the work of the committee representing the national minorities, and they may attend the sittings of a standing committee or the committee on legislation in a consultative capacity if the chair of the standing committee or committee on legislation, respectively, so decides or if the House Committee in its decision under paragraph (2) so provides [Section 29 (3) of the Act].

National minority advocates may attend in-camera sittings of parliamentary committees, if having consultative voice under section 29 (3) [Section 58 (3) of the Act].


[1] This only contains rights inuring to all Members of the National Assembly but not those rights exercised by Members as members of particular committees or those inuring to Members in their capacity as proposers of legislation.

[2] The language of deliberation at the sittings of the National Assembly and parliamentary committees shall be Hungarian [Section 38/B (1) of the Act].

[3] Proposed legislation submitted by a Member of the National Assembly will be entered in the Order Book of the National Assembly if it is supported by a standing committee designated by the Speaker of Parliament [Section 58 (1) of the Resolution].

[4] A proposer of legislation may not submit a proposed amendment to the same legislation, save the exceptions set forth in Section 32 (1), 52 (1) and 74 (1) and in motions made with reference to Section 25 (5) of Act CXCIV of 2011 on the Economic Stability of Hungary (Stability Act) so as to comply with a rule on the national debt [Section 40 (1) of the Resolution].

Short titles of laws cited:

The Fundamental Law

=

The Fundamental Law of Hungary

The Act

=

Act XXXVI of 2012 on the National Assembly

The Resolution

=

Resolution 10/2014. (II. 24.) OGY on certain provisions of the Rules of Procedure

The Oath Act

=

Act XXVII of 2008 on the Oath and Pledge Taken by Certain Public Officials

Act CX of 2011

=

Act CX of 2011 on the Legal Status and Remuneration of the President of the Republic