Hungary’s parliament approved on Monday a controversial bill that will extend the state of emergency declared earlier this month and allow premier Viktor Orban to govern by decree for an indefinite period of time.
The bill, which Mr Orban’s Fidesz-led government has said is necessary to stem the spread of coronavirus (Hungary currently has almost 450 cases), also criminalises obstruction of official efforts to combat the pandemic. Under its provisions, intentionally spreading false information about the virus will be punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years.
Since Mr Orban returned to power in 2010, his government has steadily eroded checks and balances in the judiciary and cemented its control over much of the media. The new law gives the government an indefinite right to rule by decree. Although that right can, in principle, be withdrawn by parliament, Mr Orban enjoys a two-thirds supermajority there. The Constitutional Court, which critics say is packed with Fidesz loyalists, has the power to assess the legality of government’s decrees.