“Protect families” – Hungary declares state of emergency over war in Ukraine

The new state of emergency applies from midnight – this time with reference to the war in Ukraine. Right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced this on Facebook on Tuesday. This is the successor to the state of emergency due to the corona pandemic, which is about to expire. The announcement comes just hours after the constitution was amended in parliament by a two-thirds majority of the ruling Fidesz party.

The amendment allows the government to declare a state of emergency in the event of an armed conflict in a neighboring country or a humanitarian disaster. In a state of emergency, the government can rule by decree or suspend the application of certain laws.

Orbán: “Protect Hungarian families by all means possible”
Orbán said the measure would give the Hungarian leadership “the opportunity to respond immediately and protect Hungary and the Hungarian families by all means possible”. The prime minister also emphasized that his new government, which was sworn in only on Tuesday, has started immediately because “a war is raging in our neighborhood that no one can foresee the end of”. This requires immediate action. Orbán announced that he would provide information about his government’s first decisions tomorrow, Wednesday.

State of emergency in Hungary since March 2020
The Hungarian government first declared a state of emergency in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, this led to fierce criticism at home and abroad, because the parliament would effectively be eliminated. The Corona emergency has been extended several times in a row and will officially end on May 31 this year.