Parliamentary election in Hungary, 2018

14. April 2018

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On the morning of the day after the elections, it seems that the ruling coalition party, FIDESZ-KDNP has won a two-thirds majority in the parliament; its leader Viktor Orbán will be ruling the country for the third time consecutively and overall it being his fourth cycle of governing. From 2010, he transformed the country from a plural democracy into a semi-authoritarian system under the control of a single party. With a constitutional majority, he hereinafter, has the opportunity to adopt further changes to the constitution according to his intentions.

The mournful performance of the opposition has several reasons. On the one hand it is very divided. On the other hand, FIDESZ modified and wrote the election law in its own interest, paving the way for the uneven conditions that presided in the elections.  Throughout the vast majority of the country, the press is in the hands of those very close to the government. Orbán built his campaign on an enemy, on a multicultural force that attacks the West, where – as depicted on pictures – Muslim immigrants are savages and where traditional family and Christian values are subject to constant attack. He has been using the Goebbels method for some time now. György Soros, a Jewish billionaire of Hungarian origin, was made a scapegoat who intervened in the life of Hungary. According to a survey, some people thought György Soros would be running in the Hungarian parliamentary elections, because images of him – depicting him as the enemy – were posted all across the country. Orbán based his campaign on under informing along with playing out the fears and instincts of the people. The centralized government media magnified or simply misrepresented the situation of migrants in a false way. In the absence of other media, the Hungarian people were led to believe that Muslim refugees go on rampages and rape women.

During the campaign, Orbán has threatened those who do not support his policy, mentioning a list of 2,000 people. The civil organizations that were constantly put under pressure face an even darker time. In his foreign politics, he spoke warmly about the Polish or autocratic Turkish leaders who have similar principles. He was constantly besmirching the European Union, declaring it as an enemy of the state, all the while accepting vast amounts of EU funds that allocated mostly to Orbán’s relatives and acquaintances. Corruption has reached enormous dimensions in Hungary. Surprisingly, Orbán’s team responded peculiarly, claiming that their aim is  to establish the Hungarian capitalist world. 73 years after the military defeat of fascism, Orbán created a mutated fascist system fanaticizing masses.

Orbán’s victory and methods are expected to serve as examples for politicians who think in a similar way, primarily for Poland, where the party in power is openly copying his methods. Hopefully, Orban’s victory will finally awaken the democratic Western leaders and the European Parliament (EUP). Perhaps they will be aware of what MEASZ (The Hungarian Federation of Resistance Fighters and Antifascists) has been saying for a long time now – that Orbán’s governance is a threat to the rule of law, the free press, but most of all to the millions of people who are not following him. After recognizing this, the EUP will hopefully launch significant actions. It should strive to organize serious projects with non-governmental organizations, such as the FIR, whose existing traditional network and expertise can effectively fight against threats jeopardizing the rule of law.

Vilmos Hanti