Hungary: Varadi vs. Orban
Canadian edition "The Globe and Mail" published an article by Mark McKinnon on the Hungarian "dictatorship". Zsolt Varady, a man with a fairly well-known name, speaks against Viktor Orban’s policy in the country. In his opinion, the populist government of Orban "nightmare" the country, and in foreign policy is too close to the Russian.
photo http://www.theglobeandmail.com
Varadi remembers the days of the Iron Curtain. His father told him in those years that maybe in twenty years good times would come for Hungary. A quarter of a century later, Varadi succeeded: he created a very popular social network “Who Is Who” (two years before the appearance of “Facebook”). For some time this man became famous, and at the same time rich. However, Hungary, he believes, did not become the country his father dreamed of in 1989.
Varadi accuses the government of the country in carrying out a "nightmarish" policy, the ancestor of which is Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who deals with populism. Varadi became a political activist and now claims that the government of his native country was too close to Moscow.
In his opinion, over the past year, Mr. Orban has turned Hungary into an enfant terrible (unbearable child) of the European Union. It all started with sympathy for Russia in the conflict over Ukraine, and then it came to the point that Orban gave the West a “shock”, not only admiring Vladimir Putin’s system, but also saying that he was going to build an “illiberal democracy” in Hungary.
“This is very much like a nightmare,” says Varadi. “We are getting closer to dictatorship ...”
As journalist Mark McKinnon notes, political activity has returned to Hungary. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the fall of 2014 of the year to hear Varadi and other speakers opposing Orban’s authoritarian rule. Planned and protests in December. In essence, the journalist concludes, the ten millionth country located in the very heart of Europe serves as a “prize” in the cold war between Russia and the West.
But, to the horror of Washington and Brussels, Moscow has “great power” in Hungary through a series of economic treaties that have strengthened Mr. Orban’s government. Thanks to the Russians, Orban managed to significantly reduce the prices of utilities in the run-up to the elections, and his party (Fides) won the second consecutive election. In response, Orban "respected" Russian foreign policy. He even stopped supplying Ukraine with natural gas purchased from Russia.
And in November, the government of Mr. Orban removed the flag of the European Union from the front of the parliament. He was replaced by the banner of ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring Romania.
"It's amazing! - exclaims the publicist. “After all, it all comes from a country that is a member of the EU and NATO!”
The US Senator John McCain recently spoke about Hungary splitting off from the West. He criticized the appointed US ambassador to Budapest. According to him, Colleen Bell, the former producer of the series “The Bold and the Beautiful”, is an inappropriate candidate for working with a “neo-fascist dictator approaching Russia”.
In the meantime, opponents of the Orban line in Hungary are holding mass protests. The demonstrations in the fall of this year forced the government to back down and cancel the planned tax on Internet traffic. But of course, the author of the article is writing, their calls to send Orban to resign is far from what happened in the country in 1956 and 1989 during the uprisings against the communist regime. The current protests are somewhat lacking in “legitimacy,” the journalist notes.
Prime Minister spokesman Zoltan Kovacs says that the Hungarians of Orban are still popular for the very same reason why the West does not like the West: it makes decisions based solely on the country's national interests. “Mr. Orban is a charismatic figure,” the spokesman says. And in Europe "they really do not like leaders."
As for relations with Russia, they are “pragmatic,” Kovacs said.
However, over the past two months, the popularity of Orban in Hungary has still fallen. “Orban’s popularity has collapsed in the past two months. A third of the voters left it, ”says Andras Dik, a senior fellow at the Academy of Sciences of Hungary.
The problem is that the city liberals take to the streets protesting against Orban. They are not sure that the party of Orban is the one that can be trusted and which represents their interests.
A Canadian journalist believes that Orban’s “illiberal democracy” is a cast from Putin’s “managed democracy” in Russia. This is a system where the result of any election is predictable, and no one doubts that.
Cornelia Magyar, director of the Progressive Institute's Budapest think tank, believes that Mr. McCain still exaggerated by calling Mr. Orban a dictator.
Other analysts agree with her. After all, Orban understands: Hungary is a member of the EU, and its economy depends on transfers from the rich countries of Europe. Moreover, the latter are already hinting Orban at the “possible consequences” of a turn to the east.
However, the West has some concerns. Analysts think that 51-year-old Orban is a political figure from those who cling to power until his death. Not without reason, Orban admired not only the Communist Party of China, but also R. T. Erdogan, who had been ruling Turkey for a long time.
of the latter, News we know that we add on our own that in Budapest last Tuesday there were mass protests of citizens opposed to the government of Orban.
At least three people were injured during an anti-government rally. Police used pepper gas, pushing demonstrators away from the parliament building, the channel reported "Euronews".
Thousands of people who took to the streets accused V. Orban of corruption and authoritarian methods of government.
Euronews notes that the rating of the ruling party Fides has dropped over the last month by 10 percentage points. People are disappointed by it. Two quotes:
Euronews reminds that the protests in Hungary go almost two months. At this time, people brought to the streets the draft budget, providing for a reduction in spending on education and social programs. Among the claims against the government was the notorious tax on the Internet, as well as other tax innovations.
New demonstrations are scheduled for January.
Data from another survey leads Radio Liberty.
In November, the Fides rating dropped by 12 pp - from 38% to 26%. This is an unprecedented fall. At the same time, the rating of the nationalists from the Jobbik party rose to 15%. The third place was taken by the socialists with 12%. Voters dominate the Hungarian political scene with the slogan “against all” - those who have not made a choice. They are 36%.
And only 31% of respondents positively evaluated the work of the government.
The reasons for what is happening "Freedom" said the Hungarian political analyst Chaba Toth:
As for the “Eastern turn” of Orban, he, according to the expert, will continue. Almost every day, the political scientist noted, the ruling party criticizes American colleagues, and relations with Russia and other Eastern partners “are carefully built at all levels”.
The “turn” of Orban to Russia cannot just break off, we add in conclusion. Now the Hungarian economy is tied to it. Most recently, this month, Russia and Hungary signed documents for the completion of the fifth and sixth units of the Paks NPP. Total investment in the project - 12,5 billion euros. Recall, the agreement on the construction of two new units and the provision of a loan in Hungary in the amount of 10 billion euros using the Russian technology was signed by the parties in January 2014.
photo http://www.theglobeandmail.com
Varadi remembers the days of the Iron Curtain. His father told him in those years that maybe in twenty years good times would come for Hungary. A quarter of a century later, Varadi succeeded: he created a very popular social network “Who Is Who” (two years before the appearance of “Facebook”). For some time this man became famous, and at the same time rich. However, Hungary, he believes, did not become the country his father dreamed of in 1989.
Varadi accuses the government of the country in carrying out a "nightmarish" policy, the ancestor of which is Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who deals with populism. Varadi became a political activist and now claims that the government of his native country was too close to Moscow.
In his opinion, over the past year, Mr. Orban has turned Hungary into an enfant terrible (unbearable child) of the European Union. It all started with sympathy for Russia in the conflict over Ukraine, and then it came to the point that Orban gave the West a “shock”, not only admiring Vladimir Putin’s system, but also saying that he was going to build an “illiberal democracy” in Hungary.
“This is very much like a nightmare,” says Varadi. “We are getting closer to dictatorship ...”
As journalist Mark McKinnon notes, political activity has returned to Hungary. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the fall of 2014 of the year to hear Varadi and other speakers opposing Orban’s authoritarian rule. Planned and protests in December. In essence, the journalist concludes, the ten millionth country located in the very heart of Europe serves as a “prize” in the cold war between Russia and the West.
But, to the horror of Washington and Brussels, Moscow has “great power” in Hungary through a series of economic treaties that have strengthened Mr. Orban’s government. Thanks to the Russians, Orban managed to significantly reduce the prices of utilities in the run-up to the elections, and his party (Fides) won the second consecutive election. In response, Orban "respected" Russian foreign policy. He even stopped supplying Ukraine with natural gas purchased from Russia.
And in November, the government of Mr. Orban removed the flag of the European Union from the front of the parliament. He was replaced by the banner of ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring Romania.
"It's amazing! - exclaims the publicist. “After all, it all comes from a country that is a member of the EU and NATO!”
The US Senator John McCain recently spoke about Hungary splitting off from the West. He criticized the appointed US ambassador to Budapest. According to him, Colleen Bell, the former producer of the series “The Bold and the Beautiful”, is an inappropriate candidate for working with a “neo-fascist dictator approaching Russia”.
In the meantime, opponents of the Orban line in Hungary are holding mass protests. The demonstrations in the fall of this year forced the government to back down and cancel the planned tax on Internet traffic. But of course, the author of the article is writing, their calls to send Orban to resign is far from what happened in the country in 1956 and 1989 during the uprisings against the communist regime. The current protests are somewhat lacking in “legitimacy,” the journalist notes.
Prime Minister spokesman Zoltan Kovacs says that the Hungarians of Orban are still popular for the very same reason why the West does not like the West: it makes decisions based solely on the country's national interests. “Mr. Orban is a charismatic figure,” the spokesman says. And in Europe "they really do not like leaders."
As for relations with Russia, they are “pragmatic,” Kovacs said.
However, over the past two months, the popularity of Orban in Hungary has still fallen. “Orban’s popularity has collapsed in the past two months. A third of the voters left it, ”says Andras Dik, a senior fellow at the Academy of Sciences of Hungary.
The problem is that the city liberals take to the streets protesting against Orban. They are not sure that the party of Orban is the one that can be trusted and which represents their interests.
A Canadian journalist believes that Orban’s “illiberal democracy” is a cast from Putin’s “managed democracy” in Russia. This is a system where the result of any election is predictable, and no one doubts that.
Cornelia Magyar, director of the Progressive Institute's Budapest think tank, believes that Mr. McCain still exaggerated by calling Mr. Orban a dictator.
Other analysts agree with her. After all, Orban understands: Hungary is a member of the EU, and its economy depends on transfers from the rich countries of Europe. Moreover, the latter are already hinting Orban at the “possible consequences” of a turn to the east.
However, the West has some concerns. Analysts think that 51-year-old Orban is a political figure from those who cling to power until his death. Not without reason, Orban admired not only the Communist Party of China, but also R. T. Erdogan, who had been ruling Turkey for a long time.
of the latter, News we know that we add on our own that in Budapest last Tuesday there were mass protests of citizens opposed to the government of Orban.
At least three people were injured during an anti-government rally. Police used pepper gas, pushing demonstrators away from the parliament building, the channel reported "Euronews".
Thousands of people who took to the streets accused V. Orban of corruption and authoritarian methods of government.
Euronews notes that the rating of the ruling party Fides has dropped over the last month by 10 percentage points. People are disappointed by it. Two quotes:
“This is not what we expected. We thought that the Fides party would be able to reorganize the political situation after the socialists, but we were mistaken. They decide everything themselves, they have enough seats in parliament for this. They just sit in the parliament and push the buttons. ”
“Most of all I would like the government to resign and leave the parliament together with the opposition. But I am not so optimistic that I can hope for it. So I just want them to repeal the bills that shock everyone. ”
“Most of all I would like the government to resign and leave the parliament together with the opposition. But I am not so optimistic that I can hope for it. So I just want them to repeal the bills that shock everyone. ”
Euronews reminds that the protests in Hungary go almost two months. At this time, people brought to the streets the draft budget, providing for a reduction in spending on education and social programs. Among the claims against the government was the notorious tax on the Internet, as well as other tax innovations.
New demonstrations are scheduled for January.
Data from another survey leads Radio Liberty.
In November, the Fides rating dropped by 12 pp - from 38% to 26%. This is an unprecedented fall. At the same time, the rating of the nationalists from the Jobbik party rose to 15%. The third place was taken by the socialists with 12%. Voters dominate the Hungarian political scene with the slogan “against all” - those who have not made a choice. They are 36%.
And only 31% of respondents positively evaluated the work of the government.
The reasons for what is happening "Freedom" said the Hungarian political analyst Chaba Toth:
“The current crisis of confidence has several reasons. First, these are the latest unpopular decisions of the Fides Party, such as the introduction of a tax on the Internet or a tax on tobacco products. Secondly, these are loud corruption scandals associated with high-ranking officials. And thirdly, the looming conflict within the right wing. Voters, who in April voted for the Fides Party, see that competent, in their opinion, experts actively criticize the policy of the prime minister and the ruling party. The political picture to which they are accustomed is crumbling before our eyes. Moreover, all these conflicts, coupled with the strengthening of the power politics of Viktor Orban, have matured quite recently. At the beginning of the year, before the elections, everything was still calm. ”
As for the “Eastern turn” of Orban, he, according to the expert, will continue. Almost every day, the political scientist noted, the ruling party criticizes American colleagues, and relations with Russia and other Eastern partners “are carefully built at all levels”.
The “turn” of Orban to Russia cannot just break off, we add in conclusion. Now the Hungarian economy is tied to it. Most recently, this month, Russia and Hungary signed documents for the completion of the fifth and sixth units of the Paks NPP. Total investment in the project - 12,5 billion euros. Recall, the agreement on the construction of two new units and the provision of a loan in Hungary in the amount of 10 billion euros using the Russian technology was signed by the parties in January 2014.
Observed and commented on Oleg Chuvakin
- especially for topwar.ru
- especially for topwar.ru
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