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Hungary Council of Ministers
According to the Constitution, the Council of Ministers
guided, influenced, and controlled the entire construction
of the
economic, political, and social system of socialism. The
council
had primary authority over economic decision making; it
developed
and implemented the regime's economic plans. Beginning in
1968
with the introduction of the New Economic Mechanism (NEM),
an
effort to relax central controls over the economy, the
Council of
Ministers has played a particularly critical role within
the
political system
(see
Economic Policy and Performance, 1945-85
, ch. 3).
In 1989 the Council of Ministers consisted of a
chairman (the
prime minister), two deputy prime ministers, twelve
ministers,
the chairman of the National Planning Authority, the
chairman of
the People's Control Committee, and the chairman of the
State
Planning Committee. The number of ministries has varied
over
time. In 1989 they included agriculture and food, culture
and
education, defense, environmental protection and water
management, finance, foreign affairs, health and social
affairs,
industry, internal affairs, justice, communications,
construction, and trade. Other agencies also operated
under the
auspices of the Council of Ministers and in 1989 included
the
Central Statistical Office, the Hungarian National Bank,
the
National Price Office, the State Office for Church
Affairs, the
State Office for Youth and Sports, the Postal Service, and
the
State Wage and Labor Office.
Although the Council of Ministers devoted primary
attention
to the economy, according to the Constitution its first
responsibility was to "safeguard and guarantee the
political and
social order of the state and the rights of the citizens."
In
1989 other duties included enforcing laws and decree-laws,
supporting scientific and cultural development,
establishing a
system for social and health services, and concluding and
approving international agreements. According to Chapter
III,
Article 34, of the Constitution, a special act of the
National
Assembly may assign other duties to the Council of
Ministers in
addition to those described in the Constitution.
In 1989 ministers had no fixed term of office.
Ministers
served at the behest of the National Assembly and could,
upon
recommendation of the party, be recalled at any time.
Hungarian political scientist Mihaly Bihari has argued
that
the Council of Ministers and the ministerial system
institutionalized society's economic interests and their
representation within the government. The ministerial
departments
made the most important decisions on the economy because
they had
the requisite knowledge at their disposal as a result of
their
day-to-day administration of issues under their
jurisdiction.
Although the National Assembly and, most often, the
Presidential
Council issued laws, regulations, and decrees, the
ministries
developed and selected the suggested proposals. Bargaining
among
ministries and within the Council of Ministers resolved
policy
differences on these proposals. All interested ministries
had the
opportunity to modify these proposals so that it was
possible to
discern the interests and political demands of the social
groupings represented by each ministry.
The People's Control Committee functioned under the
direction
of the Council of Ministers. The committee supervised a
hierarchy
of similar committees at the local levels. The
Presidential
Council appointed members of the People's Control
Committee, but
volunteers staffed most of the positions at the local
levels. The
committees oversaw the operations of government organs,
social
organizations, and economic enterprises to ensure proper
management and legality.
Data as of September 1989
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