 "Hungary passes constitutional amendment to ban LGBTQ+ community, dual nationals")
Hungary’s parliament on Monday passed a constitutional amendment allowing the government to ban public events by LGBTQ+ communities and dual nationals— a move legal scholars and critics say marks another step toward authoritarianism by the populist government.
Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in power since 2010, faces elections in 2026 with the economy struggling and a new opposition party posing the strongest challenge yet to his rule.
Passed along party lines with 140 votes in favour and 21 against, the amendment was introduced by the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The amendment said that people can only be “male or female”- echoing moves on gender by Orban’s ally, US President Donald Trump. It also elevates children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development above all other rights except the right to life—effectively limiting freedom of assembly and expression in cases involving LGBTQ+ issues.
It also allows the “temporary” stripping of citizenship from some dual or multiple nationals, which could target Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, a regular fixture of populist conspiracy theories.
Ahead of the vote — the final step for the amendment — opposition politicians and other protesters attempted to blockade the entrance to a parliament parking garage. Police physically removed demonstrators, who had used zip ties to bind themselves together.
The amendment declares that children’s rights to moral, physical and spiritual development supersede any right other than the right to life, including that to peacefully assemble. Hungary’s contentious “child protection” legislation prohibits the “depiction or promotion” of homosexuality to minors aged under 18.
The amendment codifies a law fast-tracked through parliament in March that bans public events held by LGBTQ+ communities, including the popular Pride event in Budapest that draws thousands annually.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThat law also allows authorities to use facial recognition tools to identify people who attend prohibited events — such as Budapest Pride — and can come with fines of up to 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546).
Critics say the proposed legal changes further erode democratic rights in the central European country, moving the EU member state even closer to the kind of authoritarianism seen under Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“You could consider this soft Putinism,” Szabolcs Pek, chief analyst at the think tank Iranytu Intezet, told AFP.
“People are not falling out of the window, but the government is increasingly limiting the space for opposition politicians, journalists and civil society,” he said.
With inputs from agencies
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