April 19, 2018

Hungary drifting from democracy

located:	Hungary
editor:	Maria João Morais

Just days after re-election, Viktor Orbán gave a sample of what will motivate him during the next term by launching a new offensive to crack down on organisations that provide support to migrants. Having won their third consecutive parliamentary majority, the Hungarian government of the Fidesz Party announced a new law targeting activists that help refugees, hindering groups that work with and protect asylum-seekers.

The crushing re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on April 8, with 49.9 percent of the vote (ahead of the far-right Jobbik with 19 percent and the Social-Democrats Dialogue for Hungary with 11 percent) has, therefore restored fresh concerns within the European Union (EU).

To a large extent, the overwhelming victory was mainly achieved with Orbán’s populist anti-immigration rhetoric. Introducing himself as the guardian of Christian culture, fighting what he calls a "Muslim invasion", the Prime Minister even erected a barrier near the border with Serbia in 2015 to prevent irregular entry of refugees to the country.

Besides the attack on immigration, many organisations fear the authoritarian drift they identify in the Central European nation. In addition to the curtailing of judicial independence, the Fidesz Party has also been accused of suppressing the independent media.

Just two days after Orbán's victory, one newspaper critical of the Hungarian government stopped printing. The final issue of the historic Magyar Nemzet was published last Wednesday, due to heavy losses related with the lack of state advertising the newspaper used to rely on. For many observers, the shutting down of the publication confirms the regression of freedom of expression in the country, leading to a gradual disappearance of independent media actors.

Many of these motives were behind one of the most important demonstrations of recent years in Hungary. On Saturday night, more than 100,000 people took to the streets to protest against Orbán's re-election, denouncing rife corruption within the Prime Minister's party and the lack of democratic guarantees.

Nevertheless, the truth is that his xenophobic message, restrictions placed on NGOs and the deterioration of press freedom is what guaranteed Orbán a two-thirds majority in Parliament, paving his way to continue building a country with an increasingly authoritarian political system. Alongside Poland and Austria, Hungary is one of today’s main challenges for the EU. So far, the union has yet to demonstrate its ability in preventing democratic regression within its borders.

Photo: CC-BY 2.0 European People's Party