Magyar proposes unannounced alcohol and drug tests for lawmakers

Hungary's prime minister asked the Tisza parliamentary group to prepare rule changes amid a dispute with lawmaker Janos Pocs.

Peter Magyar called for mandatory checks without prior notice. He proposed changes to parliament's rules and the law on the National Assembly. No adoption of those amendments has been reported.

The proposal followed the prime minister's assessment of the opposition lawmaker's behavior. Pocs said he would take an alcohol or drug test if Magyar underwent testing with him. The exchange is not evidence that either participant used substances.

During the election campaign, Magyar denied drug use and presented a negative test result from a private laboratory in Vienna. Fidesz opponents disputed the conclusions that could be drawn from that test.

The politicians have clashed publicly before. At a June 16 sitting, Magyar accused Pocs of recording him by phone, which the lawmaker denied. The latest proposal remains a political initiative rather than an operative obligation for lawmakers.