Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2011 (23. évfolyam, 13-49. szám)
2011-04-22 / 16. szám
Hungarian Journal Public Fears Ahead of Vote on New Hungarian Constitution Hungary’s parliament will on Monday vote on a new constitution that opponents claim has been rushed through with little consultation and could undermine key democratic checks and balances. Opposition politicians and civil society groups also warn that the document embodies the ruling Fidesz party’s populist nationalist and overtly Christian outlook and could serve to make future governments less stable. But Janos Martonyi, Hungarian foreign minister, criticised opposition parties for boycotting talks on the new constitution and insisted that the structure of Hungary’s democratic institutions would remain essentially unchanged. “When we had the election campaign we said quite clearly that we must have a new constitution and that’s why in June, immediately after the elections, the preparatory work started,” he told the Financial Times. “So when people say that this is too speedy and there has not been sufficient preparation, I simply don’t understand why they say so.” Ministers claim Hungary needs a new constitution because the current basic law, drawn up in 1989 and 1990, was an interim solution, based in large part on the 1949 Communist-era constitution. But critics fear prime minister Viktor Orbán is trying to cement his party’s grip on power one year after it won an unprecedented two-thirds parliamentary majority, that Fidesz later declared to be a “revolution at the ballot box”. Mr Orbán has appointed party loyalists to key positions, weakened or disbanded independent institutions, in effect nationalized private pension fund assets and passed a controversial media law. On Monday parliament will vote on the constitution little more than a month after debate began- Thousands of Hungarians protested against the new constitution in Budapest over the weekend. Lajos Bokros, an MEP and former Hungarian finance minister, said the new constitution was “really an attempt to weaken considerably the rule of law and checks and balances in a democracy”. The constitution is set to force judges to retire at 62 rather than the current limit of 70 years old. Meanwhile, the number of constitutional court judges will be increased and their terms of office extended, potentially allowing the government to increase its influence over the judiciary. The constitution will also retain a decision last year to strip the constitutional court of its power to rule on budgetary matters, unless public debt falls considerably. Richard Szentpeteri Nagy, a political scientist, said: “Everywhere else in the world one enacts a constitution so it will restrain those in power. But in Hungary the parliament is making a new constitution in order to enlarge their power. It’s absurd.” Investors are likely to welcome the addition of a so-called “debt brake” that will force the government to lower public debt from around 80 per cent of gross domestic product to below 50 per cent. But analysts warn that the hands of future government could be tied because key areas like taxation rules will require a two-thirds majority to overturn. A new government might also be less stable as the constitution is set to grant the fiscal council a veto over the budget. The president can dissolve parliament if a budget is not passed. Both institutions are seen as loyal to Fidesz. “Even if they lose the next election Fidesz will have the power to make a new government fall,” said Krisztián Szabados at the Political Capital think-tank in Budapest. The government is expected to implement a raft of supplementary legislation including a bill giving voting rights to ethnic Hungarians who live abroad, a measure that could anger neighboring countries with large Hungarian minorities. However, officials have backtracked from a widely criticized proposal that would have given extra votes to mothers with children. If approved the constitution will come in force on January 1 2012. nabou.com Hungary Bans Gay Marriage Back in December we learned that Hungary had approved a draft version of a new constitution that outlaws same-sex marriage. Today lawmakers there officially adopted that constitution. The 2009 law granting same-sex couples some rights after registering their partnerships remains in effect. International Viewpoint predicts that the EU will do little about Hungary’s newly official ban. The European commission scarcely dares to take action when member states invoke religious freedom to disregard EU-fundamental rights. For example, in the case of Lithuania, where a law was passed that bans the “promotion of homosexuality,” effectively rendering gay people invisible. The controversial Hungarian media law also includes a paragraph of this type, which states that the media must show respect for marriage and the institution of family, whereby the government aims to constitutionally enshrine the definition of marriage as being between a man and woman. The new Hungarian media supervisor has already qualified public expressions of homosexuality as in conflict with these standards, and therefore potentially punishable under the new law. Discrimination of this type is clearly in conflict with the ban on discrimination in the EU treaties, nytimes.com DUNA Travel 8530 Holloway Dr. If 102 W. Hollywood, CA 90069 Spa, Hotel foglalások, Kocsi bérlés Kedvezményes repülőjegy árak Magyarországra napi kedvezményes árakért hívják ZSUZSÁT TEL: (310) 652-5294 FAX: (310) 652-5287 1-888-532-0168 Our advertisers make it possible for the HÍRLAP to appear. Please support us by using their products and services! Április 22,2011 tO BOOK FESTVALS IN APRIL - Budapest and Los Angeles April is a time for wonderful book festivals in both our old and new countries. The one in Hungary has just ended this Sunday, but for those Hungarian book lovers who live in Los Angeles, there is still a chance to visit the L.A. Times Festival of Books April 30 and May 1st. The International Book Festival of Budapest is one of the largest book fairs in Central and Eastern Europe. The festival, held at the end of April, is 20th largest in the world. Foreign guests as well as Hungarian writers are regularly invited to the festival. World famous writers like Salman Rushdie, Victor Yerofeyev, Sawomir Mrozek, Robert Merle, Lawrence Norfolk, and Mario Vargas Llosa have won the grand prize of the festival in previous years, and the guest of honor at the 12th festival was Nobel Prize winner Günter Grass. Every year one invited country is given the opportunity to present itself. To this date, visitors to the festival have been able to get a taste of the cultures and literature of Italy, France, Germany, Russia, and Spain. The International Book Festival of Budapest is not exclusively about books; it is truly a festival of combined arts. Over the course of the four days literary evenings, book premiers, talks, film screenings, theatre performances, and exhibitions take place, all adding color to the program. The festival is also associated with the European First Novel Festival, which introduces the most talented young novelists of Europe. The International Book Festival of Budapest is open to all and all of the books - usually more than 50,000 - are on sale. * * * I rarely had a chance to attend the Budapest Book Festival, but I was a regular at the favorite festival of books in the Southland, that of the Los Angeles Times. It was created in 1996 to promote literacy, celebrate the written word, and bring together those who create books with the people who love to read them. Between 130,000 and 140,000 people attend the event annually. For 15 years, it was held on the vast and beautiful campus of UCLA, my alma mater, and I have faithfully attended and reported on it each year ever since its inception in great detail and with lots of pictures. I report with a little sadness in my heart that this year, the Festival moves to University of Southern California Campus. It will be the end of an era and, to be sure, the beginning ogf a new one. The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, one of the Southland’s most cherished and engaging weekend celebrations, will kick off its 16th storied year in a brand new home at USC’s University Park Campus April 30-May 1, 2011. Angelenos of all ages interested in famous authors, celebrity appearances, speaker panels, superstar chefs and local musicians will have something extra special to look forward as the celebration debuts downtown. Last year, more than 140,000 people enjoyed the nation’s largest public literary festival, where over 400 authors blended with hundreds of exhibitors representing booksellers, publishers, literacy and cultural organizations. Poetry, mystery, politics, Young Adult, comic book, graphic novel and among other things, savor the Festival’s author readings, book signings, intimate Q&A’s, comedy, children’s activities and more. The freeto-the-public event delivers an exciting and diverse celebration of all the written word inspires. General event information can be found at latimesfestivalofbooks.com. Information is also available on the Festival of Books Facebook Fan Page and through the official Twitter stream (@latimesfob), or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK. Detailed speaker and event information will be provided in the official festival program, to be published in the Los Angeles Times sometime soon. SUSAN JANCSO AMERIKAI tfagy a r Hírlap |
