Hungary’s nationalist government has been accused of trying to cement its power and impose its conservative social agenda after proposing a raft of controversial legal changes just as the country entered a partial Covid-19 lockdown.

Moments before tight new restrictions took effect at midnight on Wednesday, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban’s allies tabled draft legislation and constitutional amendments on issues ranging from gender identity to election rules.

Critics said the proposals continued his decade-long drive to centralise control and take Hungary sharply to the right, which has led to frequent clashes with the European Union over democracy and the rule of law.

Opposition figures and rights groups argued that the latest legislative gambit showed the government was failing to focus on fighting coronavirus, despite Mr Orban’s admission that it could swamp Hungary’s health system unless swift action was taken.

Five months after Hungary banned gender changes on official documents, justice minister Judit Varga proposed a constitutional amendment stating that the country “protects children’s right to an identity corresponding to his or her sex at birth and ensures an upbringing that reflects values based on Hungary’s constitutional identity and Christian culture”. Read more via Irish Times