ABSTRACT
Following their landslide electoral victory in the 2010 national election, Hungary’s conservative coalition partners (FIDESZ and the Christian Democratic Party) embarked on a bold program of political change. During their first term in office, the FIDESZ-led government ushered in a series of institutional changes that included the adoption of a new constitution, a new electoral system reducing the number of seats in the national parliament by half, and a thorough revision of the Parliamentary Standing Orders. The combined effect of these changes was the institutionalization and perpetuation of complete executive dominance over parliament, which has effectively ceased functioning as an arena of autonomous policy and legislative development or political consensus building. This paper documents the development and the effect of these institutional reforms on the legislative activity of the Hungarian Parliament.
