Parlt votes to extend state of emergency

Parliament on Tuesday passed a law on the government's response to the second wave of the novel coronavirus epidemic, extending the state of emergency declared due to the pandemic. The law grants the government enhanced powers to handle the pandemic for a period of 90 days. Parliament may rescind the government's emergency powers before the state of emergency expires. Under the law, the government is required to regularly brief lawmakers on its pandemic response measures. Hungary's constitution allows the government to declare a state of emergency for a period of 15 days, but the approval of two-thirds of lawmakers is required for any extension. A state of emergency allows the government to suspend the application of some legislation, diverge from legal provisions and take other extraordinary measures by decree.