REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY Official name: Magyar Köztársaság (Republic of Hungary) Location: Central Europe International organisations: The Council of Europe, The European Union, The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, The United Nations, The World Trade Organisation Borders: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine Coastline: None Land area: 93,030 Km2 Population: 10,100,000 Ethnicity: Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%

Languages: Hungarian (the official language) 98.2%
Religion: The great majority are at least nominal Christians (Catholic 65%, Protestant 25%).
Form of government: Parliamentary democratic republic. Hungary is divided into 19 counties and 20 urban counties.
Capital: Budapest
Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of Hungary came into effect on 18 August 1949, but was radically revised in 1989.
Head of state: The President, elected by the legislature for a five-year term. The President's functions are largely ceremonial. President Ferenc Madl was elected on 6 June 2000.
Head of government: The Prime Minister, appointed by the President. The Prime Minister is the leader of the largest party in the legislature and is accountable to it.
Legislature: Hungary has a unicameral legislature. The National Assembly (Országgyulés) has 386 members, elected for four-year terms. Of these, 176 members in single-seat constituencies, 152 by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies and 58 members elected from national lists to achieve proportional representation.
Electoral authority: The Hungarian Ministry of the Interior Central Registration and Election Office administers national elections.
Freedom House 2005 rating: Political Rights 1, Civil Liberties 2

Political history

The mediaeval Kingdom of Hungary was destroyed by the Ottomans at the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, and those Hungarian territories not held by the Ottomans came under the rule of the Austrian Habsburgs. The Habsburgs gradually reconquered Hungary and ruled the whole country by 1700. Hungarian nationalism reasserted itself in the 19th century with a national rising in 1848, but the Habsburgs regained control with Russian assistance. In 1867 the Habsburgs agreed to share power with the Hungarian nobility in what became known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

When the Habsburg Empire collapsed in 1918, Hungary underwent first a democratic revolution, then a Communist seizure of power, then a Romanian invasion, as well as several attempts by the exiled Habsburg Emperor Karl to reclaim the Hungarian throne. In 1920 Admiral Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya, former commander of the Imperial Navy, was declared Regent. Hungary thus became a "kingdom without a king, ruled by an admiral without a navy." Horthy allied Hungary with the Germans in the Second World War, which led to Soviet invasion in 1945 and in 1947 to the imposition of a Communist regime.

The Communist regime of Mátyás Rákosi was extremely unpopular, and in 1956 the Khrushchev "thaw" in the Soviet Union encouraged a revolt, led by a liberal Communist, Imre Nagy. The result was a Soviet invasion which crushed the revolt, and Nagy's execution. The new Communist ruler, 1988 János Kádár, allowed a gradual liberalisation in the 1960s and '70s. When in 1989 the Soviets made it clear they would not intervene again, the Communists gave up power voluntarily and free elections were held.

As elsewhere in East/Central Europe, the former Communists have successfully repackaged themselves for democratic politics. The Hungarian Socialist Party, now in government, is a moderate, pre-Europe and pro-Western party. The main opposition party is the Hungarian Citizens' Party, known as Fidesz, which is in coalition with the Hungarian Democratic Forum. Other significant parties are the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats and the extreme right Hungarian Justice and Life Party.