BUDAPEST, Sept 15, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The European Parliament’s threat to
unleash sanctions against Hungary over democracy concerns was a stunning
political blow against Prime Minister Viktor Orban, but his dominance at home
means defeat can still be spun as a win.
A resolution passed in Strasbourg Wednesday ruled that the Hungarian
government posed a “systemic threat” to the EU’s founding values of democracy
and the rule of law.
The vote, backed by Manuel Weber, the head of the European People’s Party
— the grouping Orban’s Fidesz party also belongs to — could in theory lead
to Budapest being stripped of its EU voting rights.
But Orban has pronounced himself unconcerned, telling domestic radio
Friday there was “no danger” for Hungary in the vote and that in any case he
would help remove what he called the “pro-immigration majority” at European
Parliament elections next May.
After the vote, headlines in pro-Orban media outlets accused a coalition
of liberals and allies of US billionaire George Soros of wreaking revenge
against Hungarians for daring to oppose migration.
“The pro-immigration side took revenge by cheating,” said Magyar Idok, a
daily newspaper considered a government mouthpiece.
According to a TV channel owned by Orban ally and Hollywood film producer
Andy Vajna, the premier was “cheered across Europe” after the ruling.
In a debate prior to the vote, Orban portrayed the charges as an insult to
the honour of Hungarians, but a poll in the left-leaning Nepszava newspaper
Friday indicated some 57 percent of respondents pinned the blame on
government policies.
On the street, Hungarians revealed mixed feelings.
“It’s a national shame that it has got to this stage, that Hungary is on
trial before Europe,” said Dezso Hatvani, a shopper at a Budapest market,
adding he hoped any sanctions are levelled at the government and not at
ordinary people.
“It was a stitch-up against Viktor, he shouldn’t ever go back there to
listen to such insults,” said another shopper, 52-year-old Orsi Vinczeler.
– ‘Under attack’ –
“This is a big defeat for Fidesz, particularly as the party is not used to
defeats,” said Csaba Toth of the Republikon think-tank.
“No matter how they try to spin it — and they will use it for domestic
political gain, strengthening their narrative that Hungary is under attack
from Brussels — they hoped this resolution would not pass,” said Toth.
The setback for Orban is unlikely to change Budapest’s approach to its
tangles with the Soros-founded Central European University (CEU) and human
rights NGOs, or its clampdown on judicial independence.
“If Orban before the vote did not promise any agreement or compromise, why
expect that he will do it afterwards?” said Peter Kreko, head of the
Political Capital think-tank in Budapest.
With fresh European Parliament elections on the horizon, Orban’s rhetoric
“could become even more hysterical,” according to the analyst.
The government had already been framing the pending European vote as an
apocalyptic “battle” for the future of the continent between pro- and anti-
immigration “forces”.
– Fresh onslaught –
Orban’s Fidesz party won almost 50 percent of the vote in Hungarian
parliamentary elections in April, although OSCE observers said the ballot
took place in an “adverse climate” with Fidesz enjoying a strong media
advantage.
A series of street demonstrations challenging the legitimacy of the result
drew tens of thousands of protestors but soon petered out.
“During the election campaign we discussed all of the issues — including
the CEU, the NGOs… and the people decided on these issues,” Orban said
Tuesday after the debate in Strasbourg.
Emboldened by his third consecutive landslide win and two-thirds
parliamentary majority, Orban has pushed on with his onslaught against NGOs
he accuses of encouraging migration.
Meanwhile, pro-Orban newspapers have launched attacks against artists and
directors of cultural institutions deemed critical of the government.
Several of the demoralised opposition parties, derided by some for opting
to take up their seats in the new parliament, have organised a pro-EU
demonstration Sunday to celebrate the vote and urge citizens to stand up to
Orban.