Hungary extends the state of emergency due to the war in Ukraine

The Hungarian Parliament decided on Tuesday to extend the state of emergency for another six months, until May 13, 2026, in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. This measure allows the government led by Viktor Orban to issue decrees without the need for parliamentary debate and to suspend the application of certain laws in specific situations.

The state of emergency was initially declared in May 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion, and has been periodically extended. Hungary has been under various states of emergency since 2015, when a state of crisis was declared due to the massive migration wave. Additionally, between 2020 and 2022, the country was under a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.