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Orban gains free rein over Hungary's finances

March 30, 2016

Hungarian lawmakers have passed a bill that gives Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government free rein to spend without parliamentary approval. The law adds to worries over the unraveling of democracy in the EU member.

https://p.dw.com/p/1IMRx
Ungarn Viktor Orban Premierminister
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Kisbenedek

A majority of lawmakers approved the bill that includes an amendment allowing Orban's government to make budget decisions by decree, without parliamentary approval.

The government will also not be required to identify where funds will come from in order to fund the decree.

Before, the government could only spend money in addition to that allocated by the budget by seeking parliamentary approval and identifying the source of funds.

The vote is considered another blow to checks and balances in Hungary, where the prime minister has strengthen his grip over the media and state institutions in the EU member state.

Critics of the new bill argue it decreases transparency and the power of parliament over the budget.

cw/jr (AFP, dpa)