Title: Issues of the parliamentary representation of national minorities in Hungary

Authors: Sándor Móré

Addresses: Faculty of Law, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, KRE, H-1042 Budapest, Viola u. 2-4, Hungary

Abstract: This essay examines the answers of the legislator given to the criticism related to the lack of parliamentary representation of national minorities. One important aspect is that by establishing parliamentary representative mandate, political (party) representation is established organised along 'diverse' interests. The representation of the interests of national minorities and the protection of the rights of national minorities is another issue, also at institutional level. In a small parliament such as presently exists in Hungary, the establishment of a preferential mandate may lead to the increase of aversion related to national minorities, and the issue of fractions is also problematic. The author believes that a modern second chamber of parliament would solve many problems (among them that of national minorities), but it is missing from the Fundamental Law. Therefore in relation to the representation of national minorities, this is presently not the most urgent issue. The final conclusion of this essay is that the present regulation could be improved towards the representation of interests as an alternative to the political representation of national minorities.

Keywords: national minorities; political representation; minority interests protection; minority rights protection; parliamentary second chamber; Constitutional Court; Fundamental Law; Hungary; parliamentary representation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPLAP.2016.082253

International Journal of Public Law and Policy, 2016 Vol.5 No.4, pp.317 - 332

Received: 05 Sep 2016
Accepted: 09 Nov 2016

Published online: 13 Feb 2017 *

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