Hungarian parliament approves constitutional court justices, ends years-long shortfall

With the government aided by the green LMP party, Hungarian parliament finally produced the two-thirds majority needed to appoint four new constitutional court justices on Tuesday, after the number had dropped from the full contingent of 15 to 11.

Justices are nominated by a committee that reflects political party proportions in parliament, essentially without opposition consent. This has led to the opposition refusing to confirm government choices and an appointment stalemate of several years.

Constitutional court justices are appointed for a 12-year period and are not able to serve a second term.

The LMP party now agreed to support the government, with its co-chair Akos Hadhazy saying that approval of the new justices might increase the number in the court who were ready to take decisions independently of government wishes.

The court was also without a chief justice, after the term of the previous chief, Barnabas Lenkovics, expired in April, dropping the number of members to 11, just barely over the 10-person quorum needed to operate.

All four justices received more than the 132 votes needed for election.

The Socialist MSZP and the radical right Jobbik, the two largest opposition parties, refused to participate in the voting.

The socialists called the election of the court justices "a putsch," and said the nominations process had been illegal. Jobbik said its problem was with the nominations process, not with the nominees. Endit