Discriminatory restriction of national minorities’ voting rights remain unresolved
Hungary continues to deny equal voting rights to members of national minorities, despite the European Court of Human Rights’ final ruling in the Bakirdzi and E.C. v. Hungary case in April 2023.
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which oversees the implementation of European Court of Human Rights rulings, will be discussing the Bakirdzi and E.C. v. Hungary case (Application Nos. 49636/14 and 65678/14) at its upcoming meeting. The case concerns the denial of equal voting rights to members of national minorities in Hungary’s general elections.
The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) have jointly submitted a communication to the Committee of Ministers in advance of its meeting. National minorities in Hungary continue to face violation of their voting rights, and the Hungarian government has yet to take any steps to address this unlawful situation.
HCLU and HHC have called on the Committee of Ministers to urge Hungarian authorities to submit an Updated Action Plan without delay. This plan should include a detailed proposal for the legislative changes needed to address the rights violations identified by the Court, along with a timeline for consultations with relevant national minority groups and civil society organisations.
The full text of this joint Rule 9(2) communication is available here.