The Hungarian vote and its implications for Europe
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The outcome of the elections in Hungary on 3 April resulted in the current Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, staying in office for another term.
There has been quite some criticism surrounding the election campaign, because of Orbán's control over the media landscape and a redesign of election rules that favored his Fidesz party. The international community also raised concerns about the fairness of the elections. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) imposed a full-scale monitoring mission, only the second time it has ever done this for an election in a European Union country.
The outcome of these elections have great implications for the rest of Europe. Over the past 12 years, Orbán has been breaking down Hungarian democracy slowly but surely. He curtailed the independence of judges, side-lined civil society, suppressed the free press and restricted the rights of minorities. Moreover, there is a lot of corruption and favoritism in the country. Hungary is becoming more and more autocratic, and this has direct implications on the rest of Europe and its foreign policy.
Members of European Parliament for the Greens/EFA Tineke Strik and Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield will discuss the course of the elections campaign and the implications of the election outcome with:
- Eszter Zalán, journalist for EU Observer covering European politics, Central and Eastern Europe, rule of law.
- Anna Unger, Department of Human Rights and Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University
Thursday 7 April 2022 – 10.30-11.30h
Questions to be discussed include:
- How fair and free were the elections? Was there an equal level playing field for the opposition’s campaign?
- What was the role of the Hungarian media?
- What will Orbán’s win mean for democracy and rule of law in Hungary?
- Do we foresee any changes in Viktor Orbán’s European policy, on everything from respecting European values to strategic autonomy to foreign policy?
- Will he change his approach to Russia in the Ukraine crisis?
