Hungary declares a state of emergency

Prime minister Hungary Viktor Orban announced the state of emergency in an online statement on the official Facebook page.

Orban said that the war in Ukraine posed a “permanent threat to Hungary”, “putting our security at risk while also threatening the energy and financial security of the economy and its families.” we”.

The state of emergency in Hungary is effective from midnight and the first measures will be announced on May 25.

“To protect Hungary’s national security interests, to make sure we don’t go to war and to protect Hungarian families, the government needs to have the ability to maneuver and the ability to act immediately.” Orban emphasized.

Earlier on May 24, the Hungarian Parliament approved a constitutional amendment giving the prime minister the power to declare a state of emergency in the event of war or humanitarian disaster in a neighboring country, in addition to current crises. yes.

The newly declared state of emergency will empower Mr Orban’s government to approve the measures by decree. The adjustment also allows the government to enact legislation by decree without parliamentary oversight, and allows for temporary suspensions and deviations from existing laws, according to Al Jazeera.

Government decrees issued under this special legal order are valid for 15 days unless extended by the Hungarian parliament. Orban’s Fidesz party has won a two-thirds majority in parliament since 2010.

March 2020, when parliament granted emergency powers to deal with COVID-19Prime Minister Orban declared a state of emergency to deal with the epidemic and ended this state of emergency in June of the same year, RT said.

In addition to the use during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also declared a state of emergency during Europe’s migrant and refugee crisis.

In another development, France24 reported, Hungary protested against Russia’s embargo on Russian oil EU. Hungarian President Viktor Orban informed Brussels in his letter that Hungary is unlikely to give up its opposition to the EU’s Russian oil embargo anytime soon and that leaders should not discuss it at the summit. upcoming peak.

Hungary is landlocked and depends on Russian oil from a single pipe. Orban asserted that the sixth package of sanctions against Russia proposed by the EU would have a devastating impact on the Hungarian economy.