Recently, the Hungarian Parliament approved a new Constitution which should enter into force on January 1, 2012. This document states that ‘those deprived of their right to vote by a court of reason of limited mental capacity shall not have the right to vote.’(Article XXIII (6))
On 25 April 2011, the President Pál Schmitt signed the document into law. While the constitution draws on the European Union’s charter of fundamental rights, it does not specifically outlaw discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or age.
It also specifially states that the right to vote of people with mental disorders could be restricted.
Mental Health Europe – an EPHA member reacted strongly against the publication of the Constitution, arguing that this is a breach of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) ratified by Hungary in 2007 which states that parties must ensure that people with mental health problems ‘can effectively and fully participate in political and public life on an equal basis with others including the right and opportunity to vote and be elected’.
– Mental Health Europe and ENUSP joint statement
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Related EPHA articles:
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[->art4524]
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