Country
name:
conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional
short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local
short form: Magyarorszag
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Budapest
Administrative divisions:
19
counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 urban counties (singular - megyei varos),
and 1 capital city (fovaros)
counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes,
Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves,
Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg,
Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala
urban counties: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros,
Eger, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza,
Pecs, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem,
Zalaegerszeg
capital city: Budapest
Independence:
1001
(unification by King Stephen I)
National holiday:
Saint Stephen's
Day, 20 August
Constitution:
18 August 1949, effective 20 August
1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for
individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and
also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined
the judicial system
Legal system:
rule of law based on Western
model
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive
branch:
chief of state: Ferenc MADL (since 4 August 2000)
head
of government: Prime Minister Ferenc GYURCSANY (since 29 September 2004)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of
the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly
for a five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by June
2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of
the president; election last held 29 September 2004
election results:
Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple
majority in the third round of voting); Ferenc GYURCSANY elected prime minister;
percent of legislative vote - 197 to 12
note: to be elected, the president
must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority
in the third round
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly
or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system
of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections:
last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006)
election results:
percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation
in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%;
seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20
Judicial branch:
Constitutional
Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms)
Political
parties and leaders:
Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Hungarian
Civic Alliance or Fidesz-MPP [Jozsef SZAJER, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum
or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI,
chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Laszlo KOVACS, chairman]; Hungarian
Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman]
Political pressure groups
and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
Australia
Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), EU (new member),
FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG,
OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Andras SIMONYI
chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135
consulate(s)
general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador George Herbert WALKER
embassy:
1054 Szabadsag ter 12, Budapest
mailing address: pouch: American Embassy
Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270
telephone:
[36] (1) 475-4400
FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764
Flag description:
three
equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green
