How Populism Destroys Political Representation (Anti-)Parliamentary Reforms in Hungary after 2010

Come il populismo distrugge la rappresentanza politica. Le riforme (anti)parlamentari in Ungheria dopo il 2010

Abstract

The basic presumption of the study is that when the system of the rule of law is dismantling in Hungary, this tendency must affect also the role of the legislature. While both the organization and parliamentary procedures are
regulated in a standard European way, the practice and performance of this legislature is significantly different from other national parliaments in Europe. All the changes which have been introduced since 2010, including the abolishment of the second plenary reading of legislative bills, the block vote, the technics of speeding-up parliamentary decision-making process, as well as the parliamentary practice have aimed to open the way for the unbridled and unlimited political decision-making of the Government, and to secure the power of the governing parties. This can only be explained by authoritarian trends of the political system which makes the future of Hungarian parliamentary democracy so gloomy in a situation where no European or any other supranational mechanisms are available to counterbalance
or reverse the authoritarian tendencies and the decline of Parliament.
Keywords: Legislative power; authoritarianism; legislative process; debate rules; parliamentary procedures.