National Assembly (Hungary)

The National Assembly (Hungarian: Országgyűlés) is the parliament of Hungary. It is a single group of lawmakers with 199 members who are chosen every four years by voters. People in Hungary vote for their representatives in different ways, making sure that many different opinions can be heard.

The Assembly has many groups, called committees, that discuss new laws and watch over the work of government leaders. There is a special court in Hungary called the Constitutional Court of Hungary that can decide if a law goes against the country's most important rules.

Since 1902, the National Assembly has met in the big and beautiful Hungarian Parliament Building located in Budapest. The people currently serving in the National Assembly are known as the members of the National Assembly of Hungary (2026–2030).

History

The Diet of Hungary was a group that made laws in the medieval kingdom of Hungary starting from the 1290s. It continued in later states like Royal Hungary and the Habsburg kingdom of Hungary during the Early Modern period. It usually met regularly, but there were long breaks between 1527 and 1918, and again until 1946.

In 1608, the group became bicameral, meaning it had two parts. The upper house had important nobles and church leaders, while the lower house had representatives from the nobility, churches, and some cities. Only about 10% of people who could vote chose these lower house members. The parliament had around 500 people in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Under communist rule, the National Assembly was the main governing body in Hungary. Though it had many powers on paper, it mostly approved decisions made by the Communist party. It met only twice a year, and a group called the Presidential Council handled most work between meetings.

The modern, democratic National Assembly began after the end of communist rule in 1989. It kept its role as the top power in Hungary until changes in 2012. Today it is still called the Országgyűlés, but is known as the 'National Assembly' to differ from its royal past.

Historical composition of the National Assembly since 1990

The National Assembly of Hungary, also called the Országgyűlés, is the country's parliament. Since 1990, it has had members who serve for four years. The number of members changed over time — it was 386 from 1990 to 2014, and now it is 199.

Members are chosen through elections using a special voting system that helps make sure different groups have a say. Parties need to get at least 5% of the votes to win seats in the Assembly.

Speakers of the National Assembly of Hungary

Main article: List of speakers of the National Assembly (Hungary)

The National Assembly of Hungary has a leader called the Speaker. This person helps manage the work of the parliament and makes sure everything runs smoothly. There is a list of all the people who have served as Speaker, showing their names and the times they held the position.