An IMGW News Report
In a move that signals an intensifying shift towards illiberalism, Hungary’s parliament has passed sweeping constitutional amendments curtailing the rights of LGBTQ+ citizens and dual nationals. The government claims the measures are designed to safeguard children’s “physical and moral development,” but critics say the changes are part of a calculated political purge ahead of elections next year.
“Legal scholars across Europe are likely to challenge these acts as incompatible not only with EU law, but with democratic governance itself”
The amendments—approved with 140 votes in favour and 21 against—grant the government powers to suspend the citizenship of dual nationals deemed a threat to national security. In parallel, legislation effectively bans LGBTQ+ public assemblies, including Pride marches. The governing Fidesz party has framed the measures as a defence against foreign ideological influence, targeting so-called “bogus NGOs, bought politicians, and the independent media.” Opposition figures argue the provisions are written so broadly that any dissenting gathering could be outlawed.
“Can a government, under the guise of child protection, override fundamental freedoms and effectively strip nationals of their citizenship?”
The laws appear aimed, in part, at silencing domestic critics and tarnishing political rivals such as Peter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider turned challenger, who has so far refused to be drawn into a culture war over LGBTQ+ rights.
What is clear, however, is that these legal revisions are incompatible with Hungary’s obligations as a member state of the European Union. The right to peaceful assembly and the protection from arbitrary revocation of citizenship are enshrined in EU treaties. This puts Budapest on yet another collision course with Brussels, which has already fined Hungary €200 million over its handling of asylum seekers and launched multiple infringement proceedings over rule-of-law concerns.
IMGW News questions whether the amendments are even legal in a deeper constitutional sense. Can a government, under the guise of child protection, override fundamental freedoms and effectively strip nationals of their citizenship? Legal scholars across Europe are likely to challenge these acts as incompatible not only with EU law, but with democratic governance itself.
A Tale of Two Hungaries: Illiberal Laws and Liberal Incentives
Even as the Hungarian government clamps down on civil liberties at home, it is extending an open hand to wealthy foreigners abroad. From July 2024, Hungary is launching a new Golden Visa programme aimed at attracting non-EU investors seeking access to Europe’s lifestyle and mobility.
Under the scheme, investors can obtain a ten-year residence permit by investing at least €250,000 in state-approved real estate funds or by donating to an accredited higher education institution. In return, they enjoy visa-free travel across the Schengen Area, favourable tax rates, the right to work or start businesses in Hungary, and access to high-quality healthcare and education. Budapest, long celebrated for its thermal spas and baroque charm, is being sold as a safe haven with a low cost of living and proximity to Western Europe.
Yet this financial courtship stands in stark contrast to Hungary’s domestic policies. While the government offers foreign investors a gateway to Europe, it simultaneously curtails rights that define European democratic identity. The same political leadership that courts international capital is also driving a legislative agenda that undermines minority protections, suppresses dissent, and challenges core EU values.
IMGW News raises a deeper concern: can Hungary credibly offer access to European freedoms and stability through its Golden Visa programme, while simultaneously enacting domestic laws that undermine those very principles? The contradiction is stark—marketing the European way of life to affluent outsiders, even as that lifestyle is increasingly curtailed for its own citizens.
As Hungary gears up for what could be a pivotal general election, the Orban government’s crackdown may prove a high-stakes gamble—one that tests not just the country’s democratic resilience, but the legal foundations of the European project.
