The Hungarian government declared a state of emergency today due to the war in Ukraine, which will take effect at midnight, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
In a video he posted on Facebook hours after parliament passed an amendment to the constitution that cites conflict, war or a humanitarian catastrophe in a neighboring country as reasons for the measure, Orban said the war in Ukraine posed a threat to Hungary, the physical security of its citizens, energy supplies and financial security of families and the economy, reports MTI.
The world is on the brink of economic crisis
He emphasized that the Government, which took the oath today, immediately started working and pointed out that no one still sees the end of the war in Ukraine .
–Â The world is on the brink of an economic crisis. Hungary must stay away from this war and protect the financial security of families – said Orban.
He added that the government, in order to do that, must be able to make decisions and react quickly.
–Â A state of emergency, similar to the one introduced during the pandemic, will enable the government to react quickly and use all available methods to protect Hungary and Hungarians – Orban stated.
Earlier today, the Hungarian parliament adopted the 10th amendment to the Constitution, which allows the government to declare a state of emergency in the event of an armed conflict, war or humanitarian catastrophe in a neighboring country.
136 deputies voted
136 deputies voted for the amendment, while 36 were against it. According to the amendments to the Constitution, a special legal order may be introduced in the event of a state of war, emergency or danger.
A state of danger can be declared “if acts of war occur”.
Armed conflict includes all armed conflicts, while a humanitarian catastrophe includes any situation resulting from war or armed conflict, or if there is any other reason, such as natural disasters that cause a large number of people to be in a difficult situation.
According to the explanation of the bill, a special legal order can be introduced only if the development of events in the neighboring country seriously affects Hungary in humanitarian or economic terms, or if there is a real possibility that it will happen.
