I dont know if people here follow foreign events as much as I do. So I am going to sum up the recent events surrounding the Republic of Hungary:
Viktor Orbán the current primeminister and head of goverment in Hungary was elected in April 2010 with 57 % of the votes. He is known for his catholic conservatism and authoritarian style. In the elections in 2010 the fashist jobbic party came into parlament wit 16 % of the votes.
During his leadership in Hungary several politcal steps were undertaken by him which slowly degressed institutions which ensured democracy.
1:Starting with a media law in which made criticism of "the national pride" illegal and gave the goverment complet power over all state owned media whilest making campain adds illegal in privatly owned media.
2:A reform of the voter registration laws, which made it a requirement that ever Hungarian had to register personaly at a local officials office weeks before the election in order to be allowed to vote.
3:A law made Single mothers/fathers and unmarried parents lose their right for child and family benefits.
4:A law which made the Hungarian national bank lose it`s independence was also interduced, from then on the ruling party had practicaly unlimited influence in the national bank.
5: A law which forces students who studied in Hungary to work and live in Hungary after finishing college or uni.
6: Begging and being homeless in public spaces was made illegal
7:And today, the Hungarian high court lost it`s independence from the political arena and it`s power. The high court of justice is now only a formal institution whilest the legal validity of constitutional amendments and laws are now only evaluated by the goverment.
Adding up to this, news about Hungary is filled with reports of violent right wing gangs from the jobbik fashist party roaming through gipsy camps, murdering, beating up perople and setting the camps on fire. Antisemetic violence has also become more frequently and almoust acceptional. Leading politicians in the hungarian parlament hold speaches about a "zionist conspiracy" which intends to make Hungary the "second Israel" with "the Hungarians becoming Palestinians".
Whilest conservatives hold speeches about a "USA-EU conspiracy" to take over Hungary, which is the only nation which resists "market liberalisation, liberalism and loss of national identety" (which sounds familiar to the antisemetic speeches by the hungarian right)
Adding to that, tentions with neighbouring countries have grown. Not only do hungarian right wingers support croatian war criminals but also are tentions with Slovakia rising due to the Hungarian minority living there. A high number of right wingers from all over Europe are ever more often found in Hungary at nazi events and memorial days.
Additionaly a high anti german sentiment has risen - who are seen as the "landgrabbing capitalists" and "leaders of europe".
Leading Hungarian intellectuals such as the nobel prize of literatur laureat Imre Kertész and the writer György Dalos have left Hungary to live in other European countries (mostly Berlin). Since goverment near artists have started to take over most cultural institutions often via the goverment.
I didnt grow up that far away from Hungary and knew it pritty well, aswell as I know quite a few Hungarians and have often been in Budapest, especialy during the summer. The recent developments have been very fast and I have only recently taken note of them when explained by a hungarian who moved here (the number of young hungarians leaving Hungary is getting larger and larger).
I guess my question is; what to do when a democracy amongs a community of democracies turns into a dictatorship?
Criticism against Hungary has been loud, especialy from the EU and the US. But from the sovereign european nations themselves criticism hardly ever comes by. Fearing to annoy conservative partners in hungary, Merkel and other conservative figures in Europe refuse to critizise.
The EU actualy has a founding mechanism to lay sanctions and thereby prohibit that a democracy errodes and falls into dictatorship - yet until now no one in the mainly conservative dominated EU parlament has taken such messures.
A few months ago I thought people who said Hungary was losing it`s democratic principles and structures were simply paranoid leftists. But taking the independence and authority of a nations high court indeed is a big step towards dictatorship. Hungary has practicaly made it`s constitution the playball of the ruling party today.
Viktor Orbán the current primeminister and head of goverment in Hungary was elected in April 2010 with 57 % of the votes. He is known for his catholic conservatism and authoritarian style. In the elections in 2010 the fashist jobbic party came into parlament wit 16 % of the votes.
During his leadership in Hungary several politcal steps were undertaken by him which slowly degressed institutions which ensured democracy.
1:Starting with a media law in which made criticism of "the national pride" illegal and gave the goverment complet power over all state owned media whilest making campain adds illegal in privatly owned media.
2:A reform of the voter registration laws, which made it a requirement that ever Hungarian had to register personaly at a local officials office weeks before the election in order to be allowed to vote.
3:A law made Single mothers/fathers and unmarried parents lose their right for child and family benefits.
4:A law which made the Hungarian national bank lose it`s independence was also interduced, from then on the ruling party had practicaly unlimited influence in the national bank.
5: A law which forces students who studied in Hungary to work and live in Hungary after finishing college or uni.
6: Begging and being homeless in public spaces was made illegal
7:And today, the Hungarian high court lost it`s independence from the political arena and it`s power. The high court of justice is now only a formal institution whilest the legal validity of constitutional amendments and laws are now only evaluated by the goverment.
Adding up to this, news about Hungary is filled with reports of violent right wing gangs from the jobbik fashist party roaming through gipsy camps, murdering, beating up perople and setting the camps on fire. Antisemetic violence has also become more frequently and almoust acceptional. Leading politicians in the hungarian parlament hold speaches about a "zionist conspiracy" which intends to make Hungary the "second Israel" with "the Hungarians becoming Palestinians".
Whilest conservatives hold speeches about a "USA-EU conspiracy" to take over Hungary, which is the only nation which resists "market liberalisation, liberalism and loss of national identety" (which sounds familiar to the antisemetic speeches by the hungarian right)
Adding to that, tentions with neighbouring countries have grown. Not only do hungarian right wingers support croatian war criminals but also are tentions with Slovakia rising due to the Hungarian minority living there. A high number of right wingers from all over Europe are ever more often found in Hungary at nazi events and memorial days.
Additionaly a high anti german sentiment has risen - who are seen as the "landgrabbing capitalists" and "leaders of europe".
Leading Hungarian intellectuals such as the nobel prize of literatur laureat Imre Kertész and the writer György Dalos have left Hungary to live in other European countries (mostly Berlin). Since goverment near artists have started to take over most cultural institutions often via the goverment.
I didnt grow up that far away from Hungary and knew it pritty well, aswell as I know quite a few Hungarians and have often been in Budapest, especialy during the summer. The recent developments have been very fast and I have only recently taken note of them when explained by a hungarian who moved here (the number of young hungarians leaving Hungary is getting larger and larger).
I guess my question is; what to do when a democracy amongs a community of democracies turns into a dictatorship?
Criticism against Hungary has been loud, especialy from the EU and the US. But from the sovereign european nations themselves criticism hardly ever comes by. Fearing to annoy conservative partners in hungary, Merkel and other conservative figures in Europe refuse to critizise.
The EU actualy has a founding mechanism to lay sanctions and thereby prohibit that a democracy errodes and falls into dictatorship - yet until now no one in the mainly conservative dominated EU parlament has taken such messures.
A few months ago I thought people who said Hungary was losing it`s democratic principles and structures were simply paranoid leftists. But taking the independence and authority of a nations high court indeed is a big step towards dictatorship. Hungary has practicaly made it`s constitution the playball of the ruling party today.
