Legislation

(Adopted on Aug 20, 1949)

(Official Title Constitution of the Republic of Hungary)

(The Constitution was established by Act XX of 1949)

(Document Status in 1997)

(Editor's Note: The ICL edition is an unofficial translation by Kendall Logan, kindly provided by him on 29 Sep 1997. The edition is consolidated with all Amendments up to and including Act LIX of 1997 on the Amendment of the Constitution of the Republic of Hungary)

Paragraph (1) of Article 68 of the Constitution stipulates that the national and ethnic minorities living in Hungary share the people's power and are part of the state. The Constitution guarantees minorities' collective participation in public life, the establishment of organs of local and national self-government, the nurturing of their own cultures, the use of their native languages, education in their native languages, and the right to use their names in their own languages.

Article 68 (Minorities)

(1) The national and ethnic minorities living in the Republic of Hungary participate in the sovereign power of the people: they represent a constituent part of the State.

(2) The Republic of Hungary shall provide for the protection of national and ethnic minorities and ensure their collective participation in public affairs, the fostering of their cultures, the use of their native languages, education in their native languages and the use of names in their native languages.

(3) The laws of the Republic of Hungary shall ensure representation for the national and ethnic minorities living within the country.

(4) National and ethnic minorities shall have the right to form local and national bodies for self-government.

(5) A majority of two-thirds of the votes of the Members of Parliament present is required to pass the law on the rights of national and ethnic minorities.

Article 32B

(1) The Parliamentary Ombudsman for Civil Rights is responsible for investigating or initiating the investigation of cases involving the infringement of constitutional rights which come to his attention and initiating general or specific measures for their remedy.

(2) The Parliamentary Ombudsman for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities is responsible for investigating or initiating the investigation of cases involving the infringement of the rights of national or ethnic minorities which come to his attention and initiating general or specific measures for their remedy.

(3) Everyone has the right to initiate proceedings by the Parliamentary Ombudsmen in the cases specified by law.

(4) The Parliamentary Ombudsmen for Civil Rights and for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities shall be elected by a majority of two-thirds of the votes of the Members of Parliament, based on the recommendation made by the President of the Republic. The Parliament may also elect special Ombudsmen for the protection of individual constitutional rights.

(6) The Parliamentary Ombudsmen shall present the Parliament with an annual report on their activities.

(7) A majority of two-thirds of the votes of the Members of Parliament present is required to pass the law on Parliamentary Ombudsmen.

Note: The complete text of the Constitution and further information on the constitutional background of Germany are provided by the International Constitutional Law Project at the University of Wuerzburg.

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