Orbán has done it again. He has once more extended the constitutional state of emergency in his country, thereby undermining democracy. The state of emergency in Hungary has now lasted for more than 1,900 days. Yesterday, he used his majority in parliament to suspend parliament for another six months. 

The state of emergency will now remain in place until 13 May 2026. This means that the upcoming parliamentary elections in April 2026 will also take place under the shadow of the state of emergency.

Suspending the constitution allows Orbán to rule by decree, bypassing parliament. He could also change the electoral law, for example to redraw constituencies or amend certain regulations.

For years, Orbán has been coming up with new reasons for the ongoing state of emergency: initially it was migration, then the pandemic and the war in neighbouring Ukraine. The latter was also cited as the reason for the extension this time. 

This means that a state of emergency has been in place in the middle of Europe for around five years. I am therefore calling on the Commission to provide answers. I have submitted the following written questions: 

1. Is the Commission aware that this ongoing state of emergency effectively suspends the separation of powers in Hungary and leads to a serious erosion of democratic institutions, and how long is the Commission prepared to accept this?

2. Does the Commission consider such a situation to be compatible with European Union law, in particular with the values enshrined in Article 2 TEU?

3. What concrete steps does the Commission intend to take to ensure that fundamental democratic principles and institutional checks and balances are restored and upheld in Hungary?

Daniel Freund, Member of the European Parliament for the Greens:

‘Orbán’s attack on democracy and the rule of law has reached a new peak. The extension of the state of emergency also affects next year’s parliamentary elections. Orbán will stop at nothing. It is time for the Commission and the Council to stop Hungary’s head of government. It is time to suspend all EU payments to Hungary and to withdraw Orbán’s voting rights in the Council.’