Mayors will be able to exercise their powers during the state of danger as before. The government has abandoned plans to introduce changes in this regard, Gergely Gulyás told the Hungarian news agency MTI on Wednesday.

The Minister heading the Prime Minister’s Office said in the past few weeks the opposition has levelled criticisms at the practice which authorises mayors to exercise the rights of the board of councillors during a state of danger in the interest of the containment effort.
The proposed legislation submitted on Tuesday sought to remedy this, he said.

“However, as those who were formerly critical of the regulation today clearly disagree with the intended amendment, and in the state of danger the government is seeking to achieve the fullest possible cooperation regardless of party-political boundaries, it has abandoned plans for the amendment of the regulation, and mayors will be entitled to exercise their rights during the state of danger as before,” Mr Gulyás said.

Pursuant to the Act on Disaster Management, during a state of danger, the powers of a local government’s board of councillors are exercised by the mayor, while the powers and responsibilities of the metropolitan and municipal general assemblies are exercised by the mayor of the capital and the presidents of the county general assemblies, respectively. The government’s proposed amendment submitted to Parliament on Tuesday would have required the prior approval of the county or metropolitan containment/defence committee for the decisions of the mayor, the mayor of the capital or the president of the county general assembly. According to Mr Gulyás’s statement, they have abandoned plans for this amendment.

(Prime Minister’s Office/MTI)