The Concept of the Nation in the Fundamental Law of Hungary

Abstract

The paper introduces the national aspects of the new Hungarian constitution. We find direct references to the “Hungarian nation” in the text of the Fundamental Law of Hungary, and these references reveal the concept of the nation of the constitution‑making political majority. This concept is rather controversial and is widely debated in political and also in scientific discussions. I examine the problematic issues around the concept of the nation, which are the following: Is the concept of the nation clear? Does it imply the “cultural” or the “political”/“democratic” notion of the nation? What is the situation of the nationalities living in Hungary? What is the situation of the Hungarians living beyond the borders of Hungary? This paper intends to contribute to the discussion on the values of the new constitution of Hungary.

Keywords

• Hungary
• Constitution
• Nation
• Nationalities
• Citizenship