Hungary is a democratic republic with an elected legislature. Elections in 2006 resulted in a coalition government formed by the Hungarian Socialist Party and the Alliance of Free Democrats. The elections, held on the basis of universal suffrage, were deemed free and fair. Women increased their representation from 35 members to 40 in the 386-seat legislature. Women serve as Cabinet ministers, and a woman presides over the legislature. Nevertheless, women's political participation is greater in provincial and municipal governments than at the national level. The first Roma woman elected to the European Parliament was elected from Hungary. Demonstrations and protests followed the elections when the Prime Minister was heard to say he had lied to win the election. The governing Socialist Party raised tensions when it announced it will undertake economic reforms that were not in its election manifesto, some entailing higher taxes. Riots also took place on fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, and the police were accused of excessive use of force.

The state must ensure the political participation of national and ethnic minorities, the largest of 13 recognised minorities being the Roma, who remain marginalised, unlike the other minorities, which have largely integrated into Hungarian politics. German, Slovak and Roma minorities have representation in the legislature. Some 3,000 Roma politicians serve in the local and national minority self-governments. The country has joined the European Union and took part in the European Parliamentary election, sending 24 delegates to the European Parliament.

Rated by Transparency International among the least corrupt in the region, the Hungarian government is tackling low-level corruption among law enforcement officials. The judiciary is independent in law and in practice.

Individual rights, equality and protection against discrimination are protected in law, though in practice discrimination persists against the Roma.

Police are accused of using excessive force against them, though foreigners of colour are also said to be targeted. The government has actively pursued allegations of police abuse. Impunity is not a problem.

An estimated 25% of the population lives in poverty despite 7 years of strong economic growth.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed and respected in practice. The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media criticised the country's outdated libel and secrecy laws. Minority language media are available, and the state-run radio broadcasts 2 hours of programmes daily in languages of the major minority groups. Internet access is not restricted.

Trafficking in persons is prohibited, but the Hungary is a transit, source and destination country for trafficking victims. The government cooperates in joint trafficking investigations. Women aged 13 to 27 are trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Racial discrimination persists. Though anti-Semitic behaviour has decreased in the last several years, there are still anti-Semitic acts of vandalism and coded speech by fringe political groups. Other groups stage anti-fascist counter- demonstrations.

Education is compulsory for ages 7 to 16 and is tuition-free to age 18 for children born after 1997. With the exception of Roma children, the Ministry of Education estimates that 95% of school-age children are enrolled in school, though the UNESCO statistics are somewhat lower. Roma children drop out of school before completing their education. The Ombudsman for National and Ethnic Minority Rights notes that segregation continues to exist in public education. A prohibition on collecting data on ethnicity makes it difficult to obtain accurate statistics on Roma participation in education. According to the European Roma Rights Centre, Roma students make up 20% of the student population but over 50% of the remedial school population in programmes designed for children with mental disabilities or low academic performance. Education officials claim this is due to family economic circumstances and not to discrimination, but courts have ruled on cases of improper referral of Roma students to remedial education classes. A Ministry of Education investigation of 1,200 Grade 2 children in special schools determined that 222 of the children should be in mainstream schools. The Government Office of National and Ethnic Minorities estimate that some 700 schools practice de-facto segregation.

Parental consent is now required to enrol a child in a remedial program, and annual testing is mandatory to determine educational performance.

Only a small percentage of children from remedial schools return to regular programmes. Less than one-third of 380 special education schools have the necessary certification. Legally, a maximum of 3 grade levels can be taught in a single classroom by a qualified special-needs teacher. However, a report found that 17 schools combined Grades 1 through 8 in the same class, 67 schools combined Grades 1 through 4 and 74 schools combined Grades 5 through 8. The Romaversitas programme supports Roma students completing degrees in tertiary education, and departments of Roma studies have been started in the teachers' training colleges at the University of Pecs. Over 23,000 Roma have state-funded scholarships, 1,600 of them for university-level studies.

The four historically recognised religions in Hungary Roman Catholic, Calvinist, Lutheran and Jewish operate autonomous schools. Religious instruction is not part of the public school curriculum but students can enrol in extracurricular religious education classes.

A 4-year programme begins at age 3. At this level 3% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 78%. There are 34,481 ECE teachers (96% female). The pupil/teacher ratio (PTR) is 10 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 7 to 16. Primary school begins at age 7 and continues for 4 years. The NER is 89% (48% female). Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 98% reach the last grade of primary school. 2% of students repeat grades. There are 48,393 primary teachers (84% female). The PTR is 10 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 11 and is completed in 8 years. 13% of students in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The NER is 92%. 2% of students repeat grades. There are 93,964 secondary teachers, 52,131 (83% female) in lower secondary and 41,833 in upper secondary. The PTR is 10 : 1 in lower secondary and 13 : 1 in upper secondary education.

390,453 students (57% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a Gross Enrolment Rate of 52%. Students come to study in Hungary from Central and Eastern Europe (8,445), North America and Western Europe (2,823), Asia (535), the Arab States (191), Sub-Saharan Africa (101) and Latin America and the Caribbean (31). At the same time, 7,750 Hungarian students study abroad, mainly in Germany (3,097), Austria (1,279), the USA (997), France (536) and the UK (371).

Discrimination against persons with disabilities is illegal in education or in other state services, but social discrimination and prejudice are observed.
Children with special needs are increasingly integrated into the mainstream of the education system.

Roma children constitute the majority of children in remedial education programmes for students with intellectual disabilities or low academic performance. Roma segregated schools are crowded, inadequately equipped and in poor condition. All companies employing more than 20 persons are required to reserve 5% of their jobs for persons with physical or mental disabilities, but employers prefer to pay the small fine rather than hire disabled persons.

Children are not criminally convicted but can be remanded to juvenile centres for rehabilitation and to complete their education.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and the government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. As a member of the European Union, Hungary is transposing relevant EU asylum directives into national legislation, which would give refugees access to education.

Education is available in most minority languages. Certain schools use a minority language as the primary language of instruction; others teach a minority language as a second language. Local minority self-governments enhance respect for the rights of ethnic minorities in education and culture. Individual minority rights and the right of minorities to preserve their ethnic identity are protected in law. Ethnic associations and political parties and the use of ethnic languages are permitted.

Roma constitute about 2% of the population, ethnic Germans make up 0.7% and there are smaller communities of Slovaks, Croats, Romanians, Poles, Ukrainians, Greeks, Serbs, Slovenes, Armenians, Ruthenians, and Bulgarians. 2 ministerial commissioners for Roma affairs work in the Ministries of Education and Cultural Heritage. Education programmes for the Polish, Greek and Bulgarian minority communities have been developed in which children attend Hungarian schools but have afternoon lessons in their native languages, cultures and traditions. The National and Ethnic Minority Rights Protection Office sued a book-publishing house for distributing a schoolbook of ethics containing anti-Roma statements. The book is not on the national list of schoolbooks but is available for schools to use.

Reports do not cite any restrictions of academic freedom.

Women have equal rights in law. The numbers of women in middle or upper managerial positions in business and government remain low; in practice, women receive lower pay than men in similar positions. Increasingly women are joining the police and the military and are well represented in the judiciary, medicine and teaching.

Domestic violence is common but largely unreported. Police are reported to be unsympathetic to victims of abuse. The Labour Code addresses the right to a secure workplace, and sexual harassment in the workplace can be prosecuted.

The Labour Code prohibits employment of children under age 16 and regulates temporary work conditions during the school vacations for children aged 14 to 16. Night shifts and hard physical labour are prohibited. The legislation is enforced. Roma children are those most frequently found to be working under legal minimum age.

The Labour Code was amended to conform to EU standards. Workers have the right to form and join trade unions. 6 trade union federations represent different sectors of the economy. 600,000 taxpayers claim a tax deduction for payment of union fees. Collective bargaining is permitted but is still not widespread. Public servants negotiate working conditions, but salaries are determined by the legislature. Workers have the right to strike, except members of the military and the police.

Forced or compulsory labour is illegal but reportedly occurs among trafficked women. A tripartite committee establishes the minimum wage, currently set at US$260 (53,000 HUF), which does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The gross average monthly wage is US$550 (109,000 HUF). Many workers need a second job. The official workday is 8 hours, although it may vary depending on the industry.