nationality advocate / spokesperson
According to the provisions of Act CIII of 2011 on the Election of Members of Parliament, since 2014 the nationality advocate / spokesperson, together with the nationality MP, is a specific institution of parliamentary representation of nationalities living in Hungary. The 1990 amendment to the Constitution created a constitutional obligation for the legislator to ensure the representation of nationalities in Parliament but the method and timing of this representation has been the subject of a professional debate between the legislator, the Constitutional Court and the Parliamentary Commissioner for National and Ethnic Minority Rights for almost two decades. The political will and opportunity finally became available during the transformation of the Hungarian system of public law in 2012. Nationalities are currently represented in Parliament on two levels. Registered national minority voters may elect national minority representatives, so-called advocates, to the Parliament with a preferential mandate by voting for the list drawn up by the elected national-level self-government of their own community. Advocates have equal rights and duties and their activities are in the public interest and in the interest of their nationality. They do not have the right to vote in Parliament but in exercising their representative powers they may – on the basis of a decision of the House Committee – speak before the agenda or on extraordinary item after the agenda and may also submit a resolution concerning nationalities to Parliament. In the exercise of their powers of control they may address questions to the Government and members of the Government, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights, the President of the State Audit Office and the Attorney General on matters concerning the interests and rights of nationalities within their scope. The nationality advocates are members of the Committee Representing the Nationalities in Hungary, which also has the right to initiate and monitor legislation. They participate in the work of the Committee with voting rights. They have the right to participate in the meetings of the Standing Committees and the Legislative Committee either by decision of the chairperson of the committee concerned or in the case of an item on the agenda affecting nationalities. (See also: parliamentary representation.)