Hungary to make more changes to constitution in effort to deflect international criticism

BUDAPEST, Hungary — The Hungarian government said Thursday it is proposing new amendments to the country’s constitution to avoid giving critics further grounds for criticism.
Robert Repassy, state secretary at the Justice Ministry, said the draft of the constitution’s fifth amendment presented in June is being fine-tuned and will include, among others, new rules on the recognition of religious groups and modify a ban on political advertisements on commercial television and radio stations.
Repassy said the government felt it was being forced into having to adopt the changes to the Basic Law, as the new constitution has been called in Hungary since taking effect in 2012.
“The government wants to put an end to the situation were apparently legal problems can serve as pretexts for further attacks against Hungary,” Repassy said.
The EU, the U.S. and international rights watchdogs have criticized Hungary’s legislation on, among others, homeless people, churches and the justice system.

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