Hungary nullifies independent judiciary, cementing Orban's authoritarian grip
https://thinkprogress.org/viktor-orban-cements-authoritarian-grip-on-hungarys-courts-15218d4c1e97/
By Luke Barnes at Think Progress
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban took another step closer to becoming Europes premier autocrat by passing a law that effectively nullifies the countrys independent judiciary.
Under the new legislation, which passed through the Hungarian Parliament on Wednesday, the countrys supreme court is now stripped of its ability to judge what are known as administrative disputes. In Hungary, this is a wide-ranging description encompassing everything from electoral law to corruption to police abuse to tax evasion.
Instead, a new system will be set up over the next 12 months overseen by Orbans justice minister, who will control which judges get promoted to settle the administrative disputes. Hungarys existing independent judiciary would be significantly weakened and have no oversight of the new system.
The move to quash the independence of the judiciary is the latest autocratic move by Orban, who is feeling increasingly emboldened as the beleaguered European Union confronts political threats on all sides, be it from Brexit, the Yellow Vests protests in France, or the rise of far-right parties like AfD in Germany.
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