BackOn 8 August 2013, Dr. János Áder, the President of Hungary, nominated a new candidate for the position of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, after consulting all four political groups represented in the Hungarian Parliament and discussing the basic principles and requirements regarding the nominated person.
The nominee, Dr. László Székely is a civil lawyer and associate professor at the Faculty of Law of the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest. Mr. Székely has coordinated the preparatory work of the new Civil Code of Hungary as ministerial commissioner until 2013, and now he is the ministerial commissioner responsible for the sustainable use of natural resources divided by boarders.
The current Ombudsman, Prof. Dr. Máté Szabó was elected for a six year-term on 24 September 2007, therefore his mandate will end by law soon. He was elected as the Parliamentary Commissioner of Civil Rights. Based upon the new constitution (Basic Law) of Hungary the former four ombudsmen emerged into one, and Dr. Szabó has become the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights from 1 January 2012, integrating the independent environmental and minority ombudsman positions.
Moreover the former leaders Dr. Ernő Kállai (former Parliamentary Commissioner for National and Ethnic Minorities) and Dr. Sándor Fülöp (former Parliamentary Commissioner for Future Generations) became his deputies. Mr. Fülöp resigned on 1 September 2012, and Mr. Kállai’s term of office will end at the same time as Mr. Szabó’s mandate.
The new Commissioner will have the right to nominate his Deputy Commissioner being responsible for the Rights of Nationalities as Mr. Szabó did in the case of the successor of Mr. Fülöp, Dr. Marcel Szabó. However, the two-third majority vote of the Hungarian Parliament is needed for both the new ombudsman and his latter nominated deputy.
Source: Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary
