Serbia vs. Hungary
Government
| Serbia | Hungary | |
|---|---|---|
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Serbia conventional short form: Serbia local long form: Republika Srbija local short form: Srbija former: People's Republic of Serbia, Socialist Republic of Serbia etymology: the origin of the name is uncertain, but seems to be related to the name of the West Slavic Sorbs who reside in the Lusatian region in present-day eastern Germany; by tradition, the Serbs migrated from that region to the Balkans in about the 6th century A.D. | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Hungary local long form: none local short form: Magyarorszag former: Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic, Hungarian Soviet Republic, Hungarian Republic etymology: the Byzantine Greeks refered to the tribes that arrived on the steppes of Eastern Europe in the 9th century as the "Oungroi," a name that was later Latinized to "Ungri" and which became "Hungari"; the name originally meant an "[alliance of] ten tribes"; the Hungarian name "Magyarorszag" means "Country of the Magyars"; the term may derive from the most prominent of the Hungarian tribes, the Megyer |
| Government type | parliamentary republic | parliamentary republic |
| Capital | name: Belgrade (Beograd) geographic coordinates: 44 50 N, 20 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the Serbian "Beograd" means "white fortress" or "white city" and dates back to the 9th century; the name derives from the white fortress wall that once enclosed the city | name: Budapest geographic coordinates: 47 30 N, 19 05 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October etymology: the Hungarian capital city was formed in 1873 from the merger of three cities on opposite banks of the Danube: Buda and Obuda (Old Buda) on the western shore and Pest on the eastern; the origins of the original names are obscure, but according to the second century A.D. geographer, Ptolemy, the settlement that would become Pest was called "Pession" in ancient times; "Buda" may derive from either a Slavic or Turkic personal name |
| Administrative divisions | 119 municipalities (opstine, singular - opstina) and 26 cities (gradovi, singular - grad) municipalities: Ada*, Aleksandrovac, Aleksinac, Alibunar*, Apatin*, Arandelovac, Arilje, Babusnica, Bac*, Backa Palanka*, Backa Topola*, Backi Petrovac*, Bajina Basta, Batocina, Becej*, Bela Crkva*, Bela Palanka, Beocin*, Blace, Bogatic, Bojnik, Boljevac, Bor, Bosilegrad, Brus, Bujanovac, Cajetina, Cicevac, Coka*, Crna Trava, Cuprija, Despotovac, Dimitrov, Doljevac, Gadzin Han, Golubac, Gornji Milanovac, Indija*, Irig*, Ivanjica, Kanjiza*, Kladovo, Knic, Knjazevac, Koceljeva, Kosjeric, Kovacica*, Kovin*, Krupanj, Kucevo, Kula*, Kursumlija, Lajkovac, Lapovo, Lebane, Ljig, Ljubovija, Lucani, Majdanpek, Mali Idos*, Mali Zvornik, Malo Crnice, Medveda, Merosina, Mionica, Negotin, Nova Crnja*, Nova Varos, Novi Becej*, Novi Knezevac*, Odzaci*, Opovo*, Osecina, Paracin, Pecinci*, Petrovac na Mlavi, Plandiste*, Pozega, Presevo, Priboj, Prijepolje, Prokuplje, Raca, Raska, Razanj, Rekovac, Ruma*, Secanj*, Senta*, Sid*, Sjenica, Smederevska Palanka, Sokobanja, Srbobran*, Sremski Karlovci*, Stara Pazova*, Surdulica, Svilajnac, Svrljig, Temerin*, Titel*, Topola, Trgoviste, Trstenik, Tutin, Ub, Varvarin, Velika Plana, Veliko Gradiste, Vladicin Han, Vladimirci, Vlasotince, Vrbas*, Vrnjacka Banja, Zabalj*, Zabari, Zagubica, Zitiste*, Zitorada; cities: Beograd, Cacak, Jagodina, Kikinda*, Kragujevac, Kraljevo, Krusevac, Leskovac, Loznica, Nis, Novi Pazar, Novi Sad*, Pancevo*, Pirot, Pozarevac, Sabac, Smederevo, Sombor*, Sremska Mitrovica*, Subotica*, Uzice, Valjevo, Vranje, Vrsac*, Zajecar, Zrenjanin* note: the northern 37 municipalities and 8 cities - about 28% of Serbia's area - compose the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and are indicated with * | 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 23 cities with county rights (megyei jogu varosok, singular - megyei jogu varos), and 1 capital city (fovaros) counties: Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Csongrad-Csanad, Fejer, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Komarom-Esztergom, Nograd, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Zala cities with county rights: Bekescsaba, Debrecen, Dunaujvaros, Eger, Erd, Gyor, Hodmezovasarhely, Kaposvar, Kecskemet, Miskolc, Nagykanizsa, Nyiregyhaza, Pecs, Salgotarjan, Sopron, Szeged, Szekesfehervar, Szekszard, Szolnok, Szombathely, Tatabanya, Veszprem, Zalaegerszeg capital city: Budapest |
| Independence | 5 June 2006 (from the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro); notable earlier dates: 1217 (Serbian Kingdom established); 16 April 1346 (Serbian Empire established); 13 July 1878 (Congress of Berlin recognizes Serbian independence); 1 December 1918 (Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) established) | 16 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 25 December 1000 (crowning of King STEPHEN I, traditional founding date); 30 March 1867 (Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy established) |
| National holiday | Statehood Day, 15 February (1835), the day the first constitution of the country was adopted | Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August (1083); note - commemorates his canonization and the transfer of his remains to Buda (now Budapest) in 1083 |
| Constitution | history: many previous; latest adopted 30 September 2006, approved by referendum 28-29 October 2006, effective 8 November 2006 amendments: proposed by at least one third of deputies in the National Assembly, by the president of the republic, by the government, or by petition of at least 150,000 voters; passage of proposals and draft amendments each requires at least two-thirds majority vote in the Assembly; amendments to constitutional articles including the preamble, constitutional principles, and human and minority rights and freedoms also require passage by simple majority vote in a referendum | history: previous 1949 (heavily amended in 1989 following the collapse of communism); latest approved 18 April 2011, signed 25 April 2011, effective 1 January 2012 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic, by the government, by parliamentary committee, or by Parliament members; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament members and approval by the president; amended several times, last in 2018 |
| Legal system | civil law system | civil legal system influenced by the German model |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal | 18 years of age, 16 if married and marriage is registered in Hungary; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Aleksandar VUCIC (since 31 May 2017) head of government: Prime Minister Ana BRNABIC (since 29 June 2017) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the National Assembly elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 2 April 2017 (next to be held in 2022); prime minister elected by the National Assembly election results: Aleksandar VUCIC elected president in the first round; percent of vote - Aleksandar VUCIC (SNS) 55.1%, Sasa JANKOVIC (independent) 16.4%, Luka MAKSIMOVIC (independent) 9.4%, Vuk JEREMIC (independent) 5.7%, Vojislav SESELJ (SRS) 4.5%, Bosko OBRADOVIC (Dveri) 2.3%, other 5.0%, invalid/blank 1.6%; Prime Minister Ana BRNABIC reelected by the National Assembly on 5 October 2020 | chief of state: President Janos ADER (since 10 May 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Viktor ORBAN (since 29 May 2010) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers proposed by the prime minister and appointed by the president elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly with two-thirds majority vote in first round or simple majority vote in second round for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 13 March 2017 (next to be held spring 2022); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president; election last held on 10 May 2018 (next to be held by spring 2022) election results: Janos ADER (Fidesz) reelected president; National Assembly vote - 131 to 39; Viktor ORBAN (Fidesz) reelected prime minister; National Assembly vote - 134 to 28 |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodna Skupstina (250 seats; members directly elected by party list proportional representation vote in a single nationwide constituency to serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 21 June 2020 (originally scheduled for 26 April 2020 but postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic) (next to be held in 2024) election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - For Our Children 60.7%, SPS-JS 10.4%, SPAS 3.8%, SVM 2.2%, Straight Ahead 1%, Albanian Democratic Alternative .8%, SDA .8%, other 20.3%; seats by party/coalition For Our Children 188, SPS-JS 32, SPAS 11, SVM 9, Straight Ahead 4, Albanian Democratic Alternative 3, SDA 3; composition (preliminary) - men 165, women 85, percent of women 30% note: seats by party as of May 2019 - SNS 91, SRS 22, SPS 20, DS 13, SDPS 10, PUPS 9, Dveri 6, JS 6, LDP 4, SDS 4, SVM 4, other 36, independent 25; composition - men 157, women 93, percent of women 37.2% | description: unicameral National Assembly or Orszaggyules (199 seats; 106 members directly elected in single-member constituencies by simple majority vote and 93 members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by party list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 8 April 2018 (next to be held in April 2022) election results: percent of vote by party list - Fidesz-KDNP 49.3%, Jobbik 19.1%, MSZP-PM 11.9%, LMP 7.1%, DK 5.4%, Momentum Movement 3.1%, Together 0.7%, LdU 0.5%, other 2.9%; seats by party - Fidesz 117, Jobbik 26, KDNP 16, MSZP 15, DK 9, LMP 8, PM 5, Together 1, LdU 1, independent 1; composition - men 174, women 25, percent of women 12.6% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of 36 judges, including the court president); Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court justices proposed by the High Judicial Council (HJC), an 11-member independent body consisting of 8 judges elected by the National Assembly and 3 ex-officio members; justices appointed by the National Assembly; Constitutional Court judges elected - 5 each by the National Assembly, the president, and the Supreme Court of Cassation; initial appointment of Supreme Court judges by the HJC is 3 years and beyond that period tenure is permanent; Constitutional Court judges elected for 9-year terms subordinate courts: basic courts, higher courts, appellate courts; courts of special jurisdiction include the Administrative Court, commercial courts, and misdemeanor courts | highest courts: Curia or Supreme Judicial Court (consists of the president, vice president, department heads, and approximately 91 judges and is organized into civil, criminal, and administrative-labor departments; Constitutional Court (consists of 15 judges, including the court president and vice president) judge selection and term of office: Curia president elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president of the republic; other Curia judges appointed by the president upon the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, a separate 15-member administrative body; judge tenure based on interim evaluations until normal retirement at age 62; Constitutional Court judges, including the president of the court, elected by the National Assembly; court vice president elected by the court itself; members serve 12-year terms with mandatory retirement at age 62 subordinate courts: 5 regional courts of appeal; 19 regional or county courts (including Budapest Metropolitan Court); 20 administrative-labor courts; 111 district or local courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Albanian Democratic Alternative (coalition of ethnic Albanian parties) Shaip KAMBERI Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM [Istvan PASZTOR] Democratic Party or DS [Zoran LUTOVAC] Democratic Party of Macedonians or DPM [Nenad KRSTESKI] Democratic Party of Serbia or DSS [Milos JOVANOVIC] Dveri [Bosko OBRADOVIC] For Our Children (electoral alliance includes SNS, PS, PUPS, PSS, SNP, SPO, NSS) [Aleksandar VUCIC] Justice and Reconciliation Party or SPP [Muamer ZUKORLIC] (formerly Bosniak Democratic Union of Sandzak or BDZS) Movement of Socialists or PS [Aleksandar VULIN] Party of Democratic Action of the Sandzak or SDA [Sulejman UGLJANIN] Party of United Pensioners of Serbia or PUPS [Milan KRKOBABIC] People's Party or NARODNA [Vuk JEREMIC] People's Peasant Party or NSS [Marijan RISTICEVIC] Serbian Patriotic Alliance or SPAS [Aleksandar SAPIC] Serbian People's Party or SNP [Nenad POPOVIC] Serbian Progressive Party or SNS [Aleksandar VUCIC] Serbian Radical Party or SRS [Vojislav SESELJ] Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC] Social Democratic Party or SDS [Boris TADIC] Social Democratic Party of Serbia or SDPS [Rasim LJAJIC] Socialist Party of Serbia or SPS [Ivica DACIC] Straight Ahead (electoral coalition includes SPP, DPM) Strength of Serbia or PSS [Bogoljub KARIC] Together for Serbia or ZZS [Nebojsa ZELENOVIC] United Serbia or JS [Dragan MARKOVIC] note: Serbia has more than 110 registered political parties and citizens' associations | Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Zsolt SEMJEN] Democratic Coalition or DK [Ferenc GYURCSANY] Dialogue for Hungary (Parbeszed) or PM [Gergely KARACSONY, Timea SZABO] Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz [Viktor ORBAN] Hungarian Socialist Party or MSZP [Bertalan TOTH] Momentum Movement (Momentum Mozgalom) [Andras FEKETE-GYOR] Movement for a Better Hungary or Jobbik [Tamas SNEIDER] National Self-Government of Germans in Hungary or LdU [Olivia SCHUBERT] Politics Can Be Different or LMP [Marta DEMETER, Laszlo LORANT-KERESZTES] Together (Egyutt) |
| International organization participation | BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, EU (candidate country), FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) | Australia Group, BIS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Marko DJURIC (since 18 January 2021) chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Ave NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 332-0333 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3933 email address and website: info@serbiaembusa.org http://www.washington.mfa.gov.rs/ consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York | chief of mission: Ambassador Szabolcs Ferenc TAKACS (since 23 December 2020) chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 email address and website: info@mfa.gov.hu https://washington.mfa.gov.hu/eng consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony GODFREY (since 24 October 2019) embassy: 92 Bulevar kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica, 11040 Belgrade mailing address: 5070 Belgrade Place, Washington, DC 20521-5070 telephone: [381] (11) 706-4000 FAX: [381] (11) 706-4481 email address and website: belgradeacs@state.gov https://rs.usembassy.gov/ | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marc DILLARD (since 30 October 2020) embassy: Szabadsag ter 12, H-1054 Budapest mailing address: 5270 Budapest Place, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4248 email address and website: acs.budapest@state.gov https://hu.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), blue, and white - the Pan-Slav colors representing freedom and revolutionary ideals; charged with the coat of arms of Serbia shifted slightly to the hoist side; the principal field of the coat of arms represents the Serbian state and displays a white two-headed eagle on a red shield; a smaller red shield on the eagle represents the Serbian nation, and is divided into four quarters by a white cross; interpretations vary as to the meaning and origin of the white, curved symbols resembling firesteels (fire strikers) or Cyrillic "C's" in each quarter; a royal crown surmounts the coat of arms note: the Pan-Slav colors were inspired by the 19th-century flag of Russia | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green; the flag dates to the national movement of the 18th and 19th centuries, and fuses the medieval colors of the Hungarian coat of arms with the revolutionary tricolor form of the French flag; folklore attributes virtues to the colors: red for strength, white for faithfulness, and green for hope; alternatively, the red is seen as being for the blood spilled in defense of the land, white for freedom, and green for the pasturelands that make up so much of the country |
| National anthem | name: "Boze pravde" (God of Justice) lyrics/music: Jovan DORDEVIC/Davorin JENKO note: adopted 1904; song originally written as part of a play in 1872 and has been used as an anthem by the Serbian people throughout the 20th and 21st centuries | name: "Himnusz" (Hymn) lyrics/music: Ferenc KOLCSEY/Ferenc ERKEL note: adopted 1844 |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICC jurisdiction |
| National symbol(s) | white double-headed eagle; national colors: red, blue, white | Holy Crown of Hungary (Crown of Saint Stephen); national colors: red, white, green |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Serbia dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 3 years | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Hungary dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 8 years |
Source: CIA Factbook
