Twelve-year term limit for Hungarian MPs?
As one of a number of planned constitutional amendments, Prime Minister Péter Magyar has proposed introducing a 12-year limit on the term of office for members of parliament as of the next elections in 2030. Years already spent in parliament would also count, which would mean that many of the current MPs from Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party would be barred from standing for re-election.
Parliamentarians just party soldiers
There are valid arguments for this amendment, argues Válasz Online:
“In parliamentary democracies, the government can be removed at any time if it loses the support of the majority. ... Party discipline and the control exercised by party leaders over who is included on electoral lists effectively mean that an MP's re-election depends at least as much on the party leadership as on voters – it was not the parties that had a prime minister, but the other way round; so putting a limit on MPs' term of office is justified. This could be a valid argument should the new electoral system no longer feature single-member constituencies but rely solely on party lists.”
Rule of law applies to all
Magyar should think twice about this initiative, Népszava urges:
“As the [human rights NGO] Helsinki Commission put it, the amendment, 'disproportionately disadvantages the political opponents of the current ruling party, while its potential impact on ministers of the ruling party is far more remote,' thus 'raising the suspicion of a politically motivated amendment to the constitution.' Tisza must be called on to uphold the same the principles of the rule of law that we demanded Fidesz adhere to. Péter Magyar has already shown on several occasions that he is capable of learning from his mistakes and making changes along the way. It would be worth his while to consider doing so now.”
Unjustified haste
In 444, the NGO Hungarian Civil Liberties Union calls for a broader public debate:
“The current regulations do not raise any issues regarding the rule of law; in parliamentary democracies, having no term limits for MPs is considered standard practice. The restoration of the rule of law does not depend on this, nor is access to EU funds conditional upon it. There is therefore no clear argument to justify making a decision on such a fundamental issue in a hasty procedure, rather than through a constitutional process initiated at a later date and based on a broader public debate.”