After declaring a state of emergency on March 11, the new bill will give Orban the power to largely rule by decree indefinitely until the government decides the pandemic crisis is over. The bill removes the current requirement for MPs to approve any extension to time limits on the decrees.
It also introduces jail terms of up to five years for anyone spreading “falsehoods” about the virus or the measures against it, stoking new worries for press freedom. It was passed by 137 votes to 53 by parliament’s lower chamber, where Orban’s Fidesz party has a twothirds majority.
Since taking power in 2010, the self-styled “illiberal” nationalist has transformed Hungary’s political, judicial and constitutional landscape.
The 56-year-old has frequently clashed with European institutions, NGOs and rights groups with Brussels suing Hungary for “breaching” EU values — charges fiercely denied by Budapest. Orban has given criticism of the coronavirus law short shrift, accusing critics of alarmism and appealing to “European nit-pickers” to let Hungary defend itself against Covid-19.
His justice minister, Judit Varga, told foreign reporters Friday that parliament could revoke the decrees at any time, and that the opposition were “fighting imaginary demons and not dealing with reality.”
