Hungary was the first country to simultaneously ratify the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the related Optional Protocol. Thanks to this, we were the first country in which both individuals and civil organisations also have right to submit a complaint within the framework of the individual procedure set out in the CPRD’s Optional Protocol.

Following the 2010 elections, the Committee overseeing the implementation received six individual petitions regarding the restriction on voting rights of people with mental disabilities. In regard to these, on 9 September 2013 the Committee ruled that Hungary had violated Article 29 of the Convention. In accordance with the Committee’s findings, a review of the law was initiated as soon as the complaint was received.

In contrast to the previous Constitution, Hungary’s new Fundamental Law states that people under guardianship cannot be excluded from the voter registry unless a specific judicial decision is made in their individual case. This regulation has also been reinforced by the Act on Electoral Procedure law, which states that every person under guardianship has the right to vote, with the exception of anyone excluded through individual judicial decisions.

Hungary continues to support and facilitate the basic human rights of people living with disabilities and is deeply committed to complying with the CPRD. The fact that Hungary was one of the first countries to incorporate the individual complaint procedure afforded by the Optional Protocol is also a clear indication of the country’s dedication to ensuring the rights of its disabled citizens.

The Ministry of Human Resources will formulate its detailed response to the Committee’s findings within the next six months.

(Ministry of Human Resources)