Thousands
of Hungarians have taken to the streets of Budapest to protest against changes
to the country’s constitution. Critics of the amendments say that they would
weaken Hungary’s democracy.
Some of the
protesters who braved freezing cold weather to gather in the capital, Budapest
on Sunday, carried European Union or Hungarian opposition party flags. Others
carried banners that called Prime Minister Viktor Orban a "Viktator."
Opponents
of the amendments approved by parliament last Monday are particularly disturbed
by a change that would limit the power of Hungary's constitutional court. In
future, the top court would only have the power to review the constitution or
amendments on procedural grounds, not on substance. As well, all of its
pre-2012 rulings would be rendered null and void.
Critics say
the package of changes would reinstate a number of measures previously
introduced by Orban's government, which were subsequently struck down by the
constitutional court.
"On
March 17, 2013 Hungary is not a dictatorship yet. But there is already an
applicant for the job," Laszlo Majtenyi, a leading Hungarian lawyer told
the rally.
"The
basic components of democracy and constitutionality in Hungary have been
broken," political activist and philosopher Gaspar Miklos Tamas said.
"Hungarians want to live in a country in which the constitution is a joint
work of the constitutional right-wing and the constitutional left-wing,"
he added.
Tamas also
called on President Janos Ader to resign, after the head of state said earlier
in the week that he had no choice but to sign the amendments into law.
Both the
European Union and the United States have criticized the changes. The European
Commission has assigned a team to examine Hungary's constitutional amendments
to determine whether they comply with European Union law.
pfd/rc (Reuters, AFP)
pfd/rc (Reuters, AFP)
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