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Országgyűlés was the name of the bicameral parliament of the Apostolic Kingdom of Hungary in personal union with the Empire of Austria under Habsburg's rule as the Danubian Double Monarchy.
The legislative power was vested in this parliament, consisting of two houses: an upper house or the House of Magnates "Főrendiház", and a lower house or House of Representatives "Képviselőház".
The House of Magnates was composed as follows:
- princes of the royal house who have attained their majority (16 in 1904);
- hereditary peers who pay at least 250 __ a year land tax (237 in 1904)
- high dignitaries of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches (42 in 1904)
- representatives of the Protestant confessions (13 in 1904)
- life peers appointed by the crown, not exceeding 50 in number, and life peers elected by the house itself (73 altogether in 1904)
- members ex officio consisting of state dignitaries and high judges (19 in 1904)
- three delegates of Croatia-Slavonia.
The House of Representatives consisted of members elected, under the Electoral Law of 1874, by a complicated franchise based upon property, taxation, profession or official position, and ancestral privileges. The house consists of 453 members, of which 413 are deputies elected in Hungary and 43 delegates of Croatia-Slavonia sent by the parliament of that province. The members are elected for five years and receive payment for their services. Following the Battle of Mohács, in 1527 some of the Croatian (and Hungarian) nobles supported Ivan Zapolja, while some preferred suzerainty to the Austrian king Ferdinand of Habsburg. ...
The parliament was summoned annually by the king at Budapest. The official language was Magyar, but the delegates of Croatia-Slavonia may use their own language. The Hungarian parliament had power to legislate on all matters concerning Hungary, but for Croatia-Slavonia only on matters which concern these provinces in common with Hungary. The executive power was vested in a cabinet responsible to it, consisting of ten ministers, including: the president of the council, the minister of the interior, of national defence, of education and public worship, of finance. The franchise is probably the most illiberal in Europe. Servants, in the widest sense of the word, apprenticed workmen and agricultural laborers were carefully excluded; thus the working classes were wholly unrepresented in the parliament, only 6% of them, and 13% of the small trading class, possessing the franchise, which was only enjoyed by 6% of the entire population.
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