Most readers know by now how Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has abused his two-thirds parliamentary majority since his Fidesz party was elected three years ago. He has replaced judges, interfered in the Central Bank and the media, and used his party to monopolize state institutions.
As if these examples were not enough to make the European Commission and the EU member states question Orbán’s democratic credentials, Hungary has now given the EU further cause for concern.
A recent video clip records an extraordinary conversation that took place between Orbán and the major of Budapest, István Tarlós. The occasion was the inauguration earlier this month of a fleet of new Mercedes buses for the Hungarian capital.
Orbán and Tarlós were chatting in a bus that was also packed with journalists, who recorded the dialogue. The conversation received some coverage in the Hungarian press but—so far—has raised no international outcry.
The bus started from Budapest’s Heroes’ Square, slowly making its way along Andrássy Avenue. As it approached the Opera House, the prime minister turned to the mayor and pointed out a palace—the Drechsler Palace, built in 1882 as the home of the Institute of Ballet and now classified as a national heritage site.
Orbán: Hey, István, do these houses still belong to the Ukrainians?
Tarlós: I didn’t even know that they were owned by Ukrainians.
Orbán: I read something about Ukrainians …
Tarlós: The Institute of Ballet belongs to the Portuguese.
Orbán: It belongs to a Portuguese individual, and I want it back.
Tarlós: Isn’t there some kind of law that you can’t get it back for twenty years … ?
Orbán: Why don’t we create another law? The city could propose it, and I’ll create one.
Tarlós: We need a law for it. A city ordinance is not enough.
Orbán: Initiate the enactment of such a law, and I’ll create one.
Tarlós: Fine with me.
Orbán: Just give me a proposal. I can’t figure it out for you.
Tarlós: Mr. Prime Minister, could we draft a couple of bills?
Orbán: Don’t be too greedy. We are talking about one. You should draft it!
Tarlós: Okay, we will draft one.
The conversation then moves on to how the city could force owners and tenants to refurbish old buildings.
What it shows is Orbán’s blatant disregard for the rule of law and for property rights. His comments about the Drechsler Palace in particular demonstrate his extraordinary confidence in his ability to overturn laws.
After changing hands several times over the past decade, the palace was purchased in 2007 by Aquapura, a Portuguese hotel chain. The Portuguese owners are now considering how to react to this attempt at a property grab by Orbán.
Surely now is the time for the EU to act against an expropriation that is undermining one of the EU’s key principles: the rule of law.
Both the EU institutions and national governments carry responsibility for what happens in the member states. The longer Orbán and his Fidesz party are allowed to get away with their abuse of power, the greater the possibility that like-minded politicians in the region will be tempted to go down the same path—because they know that they will get away with it.
The EU needs to take strong measures to stop that from happening.
Blink and you’ve missed it: Hungary is no longer a democracy.
President János Áder has just signed away the rights of all that was left of Hungary’s opposition parties after years of gutting legislative powers, crippling the free press, and eliminating all mention of a “republic” in the…
Extrême-droite hongroise 13: Et le Fidesz dans tout ça?!
(suite de Extrême-droite hongroise 12: Les milices du Jobbik-bique-bique)
Avec la participation…
Egymillió új munkahely megteremtésének részidős állása
Az elmúlt 12 hónapban mindössze egyszer – tavaly júniusban – haladta meg a foglalkoztatottak száma a 2 millió 600 ezret a gazdasági társaságok körében a Nemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatalnál (NAV) leadott létszámadatok elemzése alapján. A fővárosban 1 millió körül stagnál a dolgozók létszáma, _Nógrád_ megyében viszont volt olyan hónap, amikor a 20 ezret sem érte el – derül ki a Bisnode üzleti információs szolgáltató legfrissebb elemzéséből.
Hungary is on a fast track to the past
The government dismisses criticism of its policies as liberal lies, but attacks on the media, threats to the independence of the central bank and racism suggest otherwise.
Among the foreign dignitaries attending Margaret Thatcher’s funeral on Wednesday will be a man who many feel shouldn’t be representing his country. But it will be a handy getaway for Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, an excuse for him to break off from trying to defend his country’s new constitution from its EU critics, who include commission president José Manuel Barroso.
The bad press Hungary has been getting of late is the result of left-liberal lies. At least, that is what the current government claims. In fact, it argues, Hungary is a perfectly normal country going about its business. Criticising the ruling party, the centre-right Fidesz, we are told, is an attack on Hungarians generally. Fidesz is, in effect, Hungary.
Magyarország kiürül: a végzősök külföldre menekülnek a tandíj elől
2013.04.05. 10:50 Szembesítő
“Magyarország egyetlen esélye a tudásalapú társadalomban rejlik, jövőjét a kiművelt emberfők határozzák majd meg.” – néhány nappal a tandíjat is elsöprő szociális népszavazás előtt még így fogalmazta meg krédóját az ellenzéki Orbán Viktor. Pár évvel később miniszterelnökként radikálisan csökkentette a felsőoktatási intézmények támogatását, tandíjat vezetett be, és az Alaptörvénybe íratta a röghöz kötés intézményét. A hallgatói szerződéssel most tovább trükközik a kormány: szerdán látszólag beadta a derekát, de valójában csak a kontraktus aláírását törölte volna el, a fiatalok elé gördített akadályokat nem. Most éppen ott tart a folyamat, hogy a szerződést egyszerűen csak átkereszteli nyilatkozatra. Ember legyen a talpán, aki ezt nyomon tudja követni.
A politikusok már csak ilyenek. Ellenzékben ígérgetnek, kormányon hitegetnek és sarcolnak…Vághatnánk rá egykedvűen, de itt mégiscsak az ország esélyeiről, gyerekeink jövőjéről van szó. Magyarország szépen lassan kiürül. London már most a második legnagyobb magyar város, a tehetséges fiatalok közül pedig egyre többen döntenek úgy, hogy nem idehaza csinálnak karriert. Így mondanak ítéletet a kormány politikájáról.
És ez a folyamat már egész korán megkezdődik: már az érettségi után igyekeznek elhagyni az országot. Ráadásul épp a legtehetségesebb diákok mennének el, ami a legnagyobb csapás az ország számára. (…)
Inside Business: Hungary a nightmare for foreign groups
By Neil Buckley
Viktor Orbán’s policies may boost his popularity, but place the country’s investment image at risk
Hungary’s Real Defiance
The EU is expressing displeasure at Hungarian Prime Minister Orban’s recent moves to consolidate power. His party has passed laws eroding the independence of both the Constitutional Court and the central bank. Additionally, Orban’s government is under criticism for restricting media rights, defining a family as a married man and woman and their children, banning certain kinds of political ads and not allowing homeless people to live on streets.
Arguably, the Western democracies complaining of Hungary’s new laws have all passed similar measures. The real reason that the EU is pressuring Hungary is Orban’s promise to allow Hungarians to pay back loans originated in euros or Swiss francs in Hungarian forints.
… http://dareconomics.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/hungarys-real-defiance/
Analysis: EU sweats over how to bring Hungary into line | Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/12/us-eu-hungary-options-idUSBRE92B0OB20130312
Hungary Amends Laws, in Snub to EU, U.S. – WSJ.com. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323826704578353791817426424.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Hungarian PM pushes for state bank, rebuffs foreign critics | Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/12/us-hungary-pm-idUSBRE92B0KJ20130312
14 hónapja nem volt ilyen gyenge a forint
Megszűnhet a svájci árfolyamküszöb – szavaznak róla
A héten 14 havi csúcsra, 308 fölé ugrott az euró árfolyama, tavaly január óta nem látott szintre. Elemzők szerint akár 317 forintig is mehet az euró. 311,30 volt a csúcsa, most éppen (10:30) 306 körül.
This German-language children’s TV programme is the source of genuine regret to Mr. Kumin, as he recently stated that it is deceiving thousands of innocent German children to believing that the Hungarian government is really-really bad for the ordinary citizen. While in reality, the program is really helpful as it is really simply explains, why it is dangerous for a political party to alter the role and powers of all independent institutions - making the objective of the system obvious.
He also plans a lawsuit of some sort against them…
No further comment is necessary. These kinds of threats are all they’re capable of doing.
A mai ellenzék másik hibája (az össze nem fogás mellett) az, hogy képtelen ilyen egyszerűen elmagyarázni, hogy mi a baj a fidesz alaptörvényével, és annak n+7-ik átírásával, meg a demokrácia csorbításával. Ez a gyermekeknek szóló német videó olyan szépen elmagyarázza, hogy még Kumin is megértette. Dohog is érte!
via kuminferenclies
Hungarian News Media Fight Laws of Silence
BUDAPEST — On a recent day, in a boisterous studio here, the Klubradio host Gyorgy Bolgar warmed up his audience with a barrage of defiant complaints against the government.
Mr. Bolgar, a gentlemanly Rush Limbaugh of the left, opined that the rightist party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban was undermining the national currency, imposing a nonsensical “weather forecast” tax on broadcasters, and muzzling the news media. Listeners accused the government of being power hungry and vengeful.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/world/europe/20iht-hungary20.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y
Hungary to Destroy European Economic Recovery and EU?
Orban v democracy
Hungarian lawmakers on Monday overwhelmingly (265-11) approved a long amendment to the constitution which threatens democratic checks and balances. The biggest opposition party, the Socialists, boycotted the vote. The bill enshrines in the constitution policies that were previously struck down as unconstitutional by Hungary’s highest court. Among other things, it curtails the independence of judges, it wipes out 20 years of jurisprudence by banning the court to refer to rulings given while the previous constitution was in force, a law requiring students who received state scholarships to work in Hungary for years; a prohibition on political campaigns in private media; and a law allowing local authorities to fine or jail homeless people living on the street.
The New York Times quoted a very worried Peter Hack, a leading professor of constitutional law at ELTE University in Budapest: “We are not yet North Korea, but this amendment is extremely alarming because it removes constitutional control and checks over the legislature. It is a bald and dangerous power grab.”
“Dieses Land ist total kaputt” ( charlotte-haunhorst )
In Ungarn wurde vergangene Woche der umstrittene Verfassungszusatz genehmigt, der unter anderem Studenten verbietet, ihr eigenes Land nach dem Studium zu verlassen. Die sind empört und verzweifelt, und auch einige der Studenten aus Deutschland vor Ort zeigen sich solidarisch. jetzt.de hat in Budapest, wo am Wochenende weitere Demonstrationen einem Schneesturm zum Opfer fielen, junge Ungarn und deutsche Studenten getroffen.
Seit vergangenen Mittwoch hat Ungarn eine neue Verfassung. Mit der kann Minipräsident Orbán mit einer 2/3-Mehrheit so ziemlich jedes Gesetz durch’s Parlament bringen, ohne es von einem Gericht prüfen zu lassen. Besonders junge Leute sind über ein Gesetz empört: Studenten müssen zukünftig mindestens fünf Jahre nach dem Abschluss in Ungarn arbeiten, wer sich weigert, zahlt hohe Studiengebühren. Die finanzielle Autonomie der Universitäten wird eingeschränkt, ein vom Staat eingesetzter “Kanzler” kann jederzeit unliebsames Personal entlassen. Die Studentenbewegung Hallgatói Hálózat protestiert seit Jahren gegen Orbán. Mit der Unterschrift von Staatspräsident János Áder unter der neuen Verfassung haben sie allerdings nur noch wenige Möglichkeiten, sich zu wehren.
http://jetzt.sueddeutsche.de/texte/anzeigen/568230/1/1#texttitel
