Hungary’s parliament on Monday voted to give Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s administration additional, sweeping powers with no set end date amid the coronavirus outbreak, despite criticism from rights groups and foreign governments.
The bill, which passed by a 137 to 53 margin, was signed into law by Hungarian President Janos Ader and will go into effect Tuesday.
“The extraordinary measures are related to the pandemic, to its prevention, its elimination and the prevention of the damaging economic consequences,” Csaba Domotor, a deputy minister in Orban’s Cabinet Office, told the Associated Press.
“A time limit cannot be declared in this situation because there is no one … who can say how many months of struggle we have to prepare for,” he continued.
The new law allows the prime minister to indefinitely rule by decree and criminalizes efforts to spread false information about the coronavirus pandemic. But critics say the bill could be used to silence independent media.
Human rights groups and lawmakers in the U.S. quickly slammed the law’s passing, arguing the legislation is too vague and marks a “blatant power grab” by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, while the world struggles to manage the spread of the coronavirus.
Rep. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that the bill “marginalizes the Hungarian parliament and allows Prime Minister Orban to rule by decree like a dictator.”
The New York Democrat called the move “outrageous” as Hungary is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union.
“Those organizations are founded on their members’ shared respect for freedom and democratic values,” Mr. Engel said. “It is particularly egregious that Prime Minister Orban attempts to capitalize on the suffering of his own citizens for personal gain.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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