Author:
Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy
Search for other papers by Zoltán Pozsár-Szentmiklósy in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Close
Full access

This paper focuses on the theoretical grounds of supermajority, its special relevance in parliamentary systems and the related experiences from Central and Eastern Europe, especially Hungary.

In parliamentary systems, the support of the parliamentary majority is a necessity and sufficient condition for governance – there is no need for supermajoritarian decision-making in issues of daily politics. A qualified majority has a different function and is an internal institutional limit of the legislative power – protecting the minority interests against the unilateral decisions of the majority in the most important issues of the political community.

The Hungarian situation from 2010–2015 demonstrates that minorities cannot influence the decisions where the supermajority represents a one-party opinion. Moreover, decisions of the supermajority can block future modifications of the future parliamentary majority as well. It will be argued in this paper that only a substantive approach to supermajority can support its basic function.

  • Ackerman, Bruce , ‘The New Separation of Powers’ (2000) 113 Harvard Law Review 633725.

  • Arato, Andrew and Miklósi, Zoltán, Constitution Making and Transitional Politics in Hungary in Miller, L. and Aucoin, L. (eds): Framing the state in times of transition: case studies in constitution making (United States Institute of Peace 2010).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Basset, Reginald G. , The Essentials of Parliamentary Democracy (2nd ed. Barnes & Noble 1965).

  • Bradley, Anthony W. and Pinelli, Cesare, ‘Parliamentarism’ in Rosefeld, Michel and Sajó, András (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Constitutional Law (Oxford University Press 2012) 65070.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Buchanan, James M. and Tullock, Gordon, The Calculus Consent. Logical Foundations of Constitutional Democracy (vol 3, Liberty Fund 1999).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Currie, David P. , ‘Republication – Separation of Powers in the Federal Republic of Germany’ (2008) 9 12 German Law Journal 211378.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Dicey, Albert Venn , Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution (2nd ed. Macmillan and Co. 1886).

  • Hamilton, Alexander, Madison, James, and Jay, John, The Federalist Papers (New America Library 1961).

  • Jakab, András , A magyar jogrendszer szerkezete (Dialóg – Campus 2007).

  • Jakab, András and Szilágyi, Emese, ‘Sarkalatos törvények a magyar jogrendben’ in Jakab, András and Gajduschek, György (eds), A magyar jogrendszer állapota (MTA-TK-JTI 2016) 243321.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kelsen, Hans , The Essence and Value of Democracy (Urbinati, Nadia and Invernizzi Acetti, Carlo eds, transl Graf, Brian, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 2013).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Kis, János , ‘Introduction. From the 1989 Constitution to the 2011 Fundamental Law’ in Tóth, Gábor Attila (ed), Constitution for a Disunited Nation (Central European University Press 2012) 122.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Klingsberg, Ethan , ‘Safeguarding the Transition’ (1993) 2 East European Constitutional Review 4448.

  • McGann, Anthony , The Logic of Democracy. Reconciling Equality, Deliberation and Minority Protection (University of Michigan Press 2006).

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • McGinnis, John O. and Rappaport, Michael B., ‘Supermajority Rules as a Constitutional Solution’ (1999) 40 (2) William & Mary Law Review 365470.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Rappaport, Michael B , ‘More on Supermajority Rules: May’s Theorem’ (2014) Library of Law and Liberty, January 22, 2014 <http://www.libertylawsite.org/2014/01/22/more-on-supermajorityrules- mays-theorem/> accessed 21 October 2017.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Sajó, András , Limiting Government: An Introduction to Constitutionalism (Central European University Press 1999).

  • Schwartzberg, Melissa , Counting the Many: The Origins and Limits of Supermajority Rule (Cambridge University Press 2014).

  • Smuk, Péter , Ellenzéki jogok a parlamenti jogban (Gondolat 2008).

  • Tipler, Kathleen , ‘Review. Counting the Many: The Origins and Limits of Supermajority Rule’ (2016) 15 (1) Contemporary Political Theory 57.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Tocqueville, Alexis de , Democracy in America (transl Henry Reeve) (Oxford University Press 1946).

  • Vermuele, Adrian , ‘The Filibuster Does Not Protect Minority Interests. And other reasons to reject supermajority requirements.’ (2014) The New Republic, January 15, 2014 <https://newrepublic.com/article/116172/against-filibusters-super-majorities-melissa-schwartzberg-reviewed> accessed 21 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 1.

    The Composition of Constitutional Courts (European Commission for Democracy through Law) (1997) <http://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx?pdffile=CDL-STD(1997) 020-e> accessed 6 October 2017.

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 2.

    Analysis of the Performance of Hungary’s “One-Party Elected” Constitutional Court Judges between 2011 and 2014. (Eötvös Károly Policy Institute, Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union) (2014) <http://helsinki.hu/wp-content/uploads/EKINT-HCLUHHC_ Analysing_CC_judges_performances_2015.pdf> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 3.

    Sarkalatos törvények jegyzéke (2015) <http://www.parlament.hu/documents/10181/62157/ sarkalatostvekjegyzeke.pdf/afc8f54c-81c8-470e-a16f-3a5691b4c1b3> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 4.

    Voting: Decisions requiring a qualified majority (2017) <http://www.parlament.hu/en/web/houseof-the-national-assembly/laws-requiring-a-two-thirds-qualified-majority> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 5.

    Civic Democrats win largest share of popular vote; election ends in deadlock (2006) <http://www.radio.cz/en/section/bulletin/news--820#1> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 6.

    Governments of the Republic of Slovenia (2014) <http://www.vlada.si/en/about_the_government/governments_of_the_republic_of_slovenia/> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 7.

    Opinion on the New Fundamental Law of Hungary (European Commission for Democracy through Law) (2011) <http://www.venice.coe.int/webforms/documents/default.aspx?pdffile=CDLAD( 2011)016-e> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 8.

    Parliament elects 4 top court judges, new chief (November 22, 2016) <https://dailynewshungary. com/parliament-elects-4-top-court-judges-new-chief/> accessed 6 October 2017

    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • Collapse
  • Expand

Senior editors

Editor-in-Chief: 

  • Éva JAKAB (Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, Department of Civil Law and Roman Law, head of Doctoral School of Political Science and Law, Hungary)

Editors:

  • Fruzsina GÁRDOS-OROSZ (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary; Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • Miklós KÖNCZÖL (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary; Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Hungary)
  • Viktor LŐRINCZ (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary)
  • Tamás HOFFMANN (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, HU; Corvinus University of Budapest, Institute of International, Political and Regional Studies / Department of International Relations, Hungary)
  • Eszter KOVÁCS SZITKAY (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, HUNGARY; Ludovika University of Public Service, Doctoral School of Law Enforcement, Hungary)

Editorial Board

  • Attila BADÓ (University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Hungary)
  • Mátyás BÓDIG (University of Aberdeen, King's College, School of Law, United Kingdom)
  • Zoltán CSEHI (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary; Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Hungary)
  • Péter CSERNE (University of Aberdeen, King's College, School of Law, United Kingdom)
  • Balázs GELLÉR (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • András JAKAB (Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg, Faculty of Law, Business and Economics, Austria)
  • Miodrag JOVANOVIĆ (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Law, Serbia)
  • Miklós KIRÁLY (Eötvös Loránd University, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • György KISS (National University of Public Service, Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies, HUNGARY; University of Pécs, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • Jan KUDRNA (Charles University, Faculty of Law, Czech Republic)
  • Herbert KÜPPER (Institut für Ostrecht, DE; Andrássy Universität, Chair of European Public Law, Hungary)
  • Konrad LACHMAYER (Sigmund Freud University, Faculty of Law, Austria)
  • Andzrej Stanislaw MĄCZYŃSKI (Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Law and Administration, Poland)
  • Guido PFEIFER (Goethe University, Faculty of Law, Germany)
  • Miklós SZABÓ (University of Miskolc, Faculty of Law, Hungary)
  • Zoltán SZENTE (HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute for Legal Studies, Hungary)
  • G.J.J. Heerma VAN VOSS (Leiden University, Institute of Public Law; Labour Law and Social Security, Netherlands)
  • Bernd WAAS (Goethe University, Faculty of Law, Germany)
  • Fryderyk ZOLL (University of Osnabrück, European Legal Studies Institute, Germany)

Advisory Board

  • Péter ERDŐ
  • Gábor HAMZA
  • Attila HARMATHY
  • László KECSKÉS
  • Tibor KIRÁLY
  • László KORINEK
  • László SÓLYOM
  • Lajos VÉKÁS
  • Imre VÖRÖS

Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies
P.O. Box 25
HU–1250 Budapest,Hungary
Phone: (36 1) 355 7384
Fax. (36 1) 375 7858
E-mail: acta.juridica@tk.mta.hu

Indexing and Abstracting Services:

  • Information technology and the Law
  • International Bibliographies IBZ and IBR
  • Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • SCOPUS
  • Cabell's Directories
  • HeinOnline

 

2023  
Scopus  
CiteScore 1.2
CiteScore rank Q2 (Law)
SNIP 1.024
Scimago  
SJR index 0.204
SJR Q rank Q3

Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies
Publication Model Hybrid
Submission Fee none
Article Processing Charge 900 EUR/article
Printed Color Illustrations 40 EUR (or 10 000 HUF) + VAT / piece
Regional discounts on country of the funding agency World Bank Lower-middle-income economies: 50%
World Bank Low-income economies: 100%
Further Discounts Editorial Board / Advisory Board members: 50%
Corresponding authors, affiliated to an EISZ member institution subscribing to the journal package of Akadémiai Kiadó: 100%
Subscription fee 2025 Online subsscription: 572 EUR / 628 USD
Print + online subscription: 648 EUR / 712 USD
Subscription Information Online subscribers are entitled access to all back issues published by Akadémiai Kiadó for each title for the duration of the subscription, as well as Online First content for the subscribed content.
Purchase per Title Individual articles are sold on the displayed price.

Hungarian Journal of Legal Studies
Language English
Size B5
Year of
Foundation
2016 (1959)
Volumes
per Year
1
Issues
per Year
4
Founder Magyar Tudományos Akadémia  
Founder's
Address
H-1051 Budapest, Hungary, Széchenyi István tér 9.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address
H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher
Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 2498-5473 (Print)
ISSN 2560-1067 (Online)