Economy 28 April 2025, 4:24pm

Hungarian MPs banned from Parliament for the first time in democratic history

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Six opposition MPs have been banned from the Hungarian Parliament and fined a record 82 million forints after they disrupted a legislative session with smoke flares during a protest against legislation banning the Pride march and severely curtailing the right of assembly in general. This is the first time in Hungary's parliamentary democracy that lawmakers have been banned from the Parliament building.

On Monday afternoon, the Hungarian Parliament approved Speaker László Kövér's proposals to punish independent MP Ákos Hadházy and five MPs of the opposition Momentum party for disrupting the adoption of an anti-Pride law amendment on 18 March with smoke flares.

Dávid Bedő, Lajos Lőcsei, and Ákos Hadházy, who held the smoke flares, were banned for 12 sitting days, while Ferenc Gelencsér, Éva Sebők, and Endre Tóth, who protested from the gallery, received 6-day bans. The ban takes effect on Tuesday, meaning the

three MPs who used smoke flares will not be able to enter Parliament for the remainder of the spring session, likely returning in mid-September.

In addition to the ban, the six MPs face unprecedented fines totalling HUF 82 million (cc. EUR 216,000):

Dávid Bedő (HUF 24,025,140),
Lajos Lőcsei (HUF 14,415,084),
Ákos Hadházy (HUF 12,012,570),
Éva Sebők (HUF 11,211,732),
Endre Tóth (HUF 11,211,732), and
Ferenc Gelencsér (HUF 9,610,056).

The MPs appealed Kövér's decision to the parliamentary immunity committee, which rejected their appeal. The ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition supported the Speaker's proposals, while the far-right Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland) faction abstained, and DK, Jobbik, MSZP, and Párbeszéd MPs voted against.

Bedő said the appeal has only been filed because they want to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and all domestic remedies must be exhausted first. "We are on the streets now, and we have no business in parliament," Bedő said, adding that they would continue to protest against restrictions on the right of assembly and would be present at the Ákos Hadházy demonstration in Kossuth Square on 1 May.

Momentum party president Márton Tompos responded on Facebook, saying "historic resistance is the answer to a historic ban". The party's parliamentary group, consisting of 10 members, announced they would boycott parliamentary sessions during the ban period, only participating in votes.

This case is about whether we are going to stand by and let Viktor Orbán take Hungary down Putin's road, which will lead to a poor, oppressed country and an exit from the EU. We have not been silent, we have acted, and we have been acting for a month and a half, together with thousands of Hungarian patriots. We resist!" - Tompos said in his post, adding that no amount of fines, police coercion and parliamentary decisions could silence them.

Speaker Kövér has also filed criminal charges

against Bedő, Hadházy, Lőcsei, and unknown perpetrators, claiming they endangered their fellow MPs' health and safety while deliberately attempting to prevent the law's adoption. He later suggested to government mouthpiece Mandiner that rules regarding MPs' security might need modification, adding that "the real solution [...] is not a possible change in the rules of the House, but the refusal of voters in 2026 to support parties and candidates who are unable and unwilling to play by the rules of democracy."

In a separate incident last week, Kövér imposed an additional HUF 11 million fine on Éva Sebők and banned her for six more sitting days for protesting with a banner against the 15th amendment to the Fundamental Law.