National holiday:
Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August
Constitution:
18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18
October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and
constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and
also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997
amendment streamlined the judicial system
Legal system:
rule of law based on Western model
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Laszlo SOLYOM (since 5 August 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29
September 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on
the recommendation of the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
five-year term; election last held 6-7 June 2005 (next to be held by
June 2010); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the
recommendation of the president; election last held 29 September 2004
election results: Laszlo SOLYOM elected president by a simple
majority in the third round of voting, 185 to 182; Ferenc GYURCSANY
elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 197 to 12
note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of
legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the
third round
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members
are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and
direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April
2006)
election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote
required for parliamentary representation in the first round) -
Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by
party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly
for nine-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Hungarian Civic
Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic
Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or
MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP
[Istvan HILLER, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula
THURMER, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA
(cooperating state), EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (member
affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC