Hungary's 'Orbanization' Is Worrying Europe

Theo Friday 31 Dec 2010

Seriously, they don't even know how to tape the mouth correctly

its done like this
[IMG]
Not like this

[IMG]

Niccolo and Donkey Tuesday 19 Apr 2011

The drumbeat from the usual suspects continues:

'Hungary Is a Disgrace for Europe'

[IMG]

The ruling Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used its two-thirds majority to whip a new constitution through parliament on Monday, and critics across Europe are in uproar. The move, they fear, will convert the party's conservative, nationalist ideology into a state doctrine, cement its power well beyond the end of its term and upset the democratic system of checks and balances.

German Deputy Foreign Minister Werner Hoyer said the constitution was even more worrying than the controversial curbs on the media that came into force in Hungary at the start of the year. "The media law testifies to a view of basic rights that is hard to reconcile with the values of the European Union," Hoyer said in a statement on Monday. "Our fears in relation to the media laws have been heightened rather than allayed by the constitution and by the way it came into being."

Critics say Fidesz should have consulted far more widely when rewriting Hungary's basic law. The Venice Commission, the EU's constitutional law advisory body, has questioned the transparency of the process.

Left-wing Berliner Zeitung writes:
"The good Hungarian as the right-wing ruling party of Viktor Orban sees him is a strangely anachronous being: Christian to a fault, awed by his nation's heroic past, more sympathetic to monarchism than republicanism. The good Hungarian sees his place between God -- the first word in the constitution -- and the mythical holy crown. He must be heterosexual and family-oriented in order to live up to the constitution."

"The Orban government wrote, debated and whipped this new Hungarian constitution with its florid, ideology-soaked preamble through parliament on its own. All it needs is the signature of the president who -- how else could it be -- was guided into office by Orban. He has succeeded where the Kaczynski brothers failed in Poland -- to elevate national-conservative ideology to a doctrine of state."

"But the constitution doesn't just postulate an intolerant ideology. The government has also rid itself of central elements of the separation of powers, by weakening the powers of the constitutional court, for example. Around Europe, many people were appalled by the Hungarian media law. The Orban constitution is a much greater scandal."

Niccolo and Donkey Tuesday 19 Apr 2011

From Deutsche Welle :

Critics say the constitution is the government's attempt to cement its power beyond its term, alleging that it eliminates the system of checks and balances, prevents Hungary's eventual adoption of the euro, forces its Christian ideology on the country and limits civil liberties.

The new constitution's preamble is laden with references to God, Christianity, the fatherland, the "Holy Crown of Hungary," and traditional family values, raising opposition fears about the future rights of Hungary's atheists, homosexuals and single-parent families.

However, the majority in parliament did not share these fears. Laszlo Kover, a Fidesz parliamentarian and speaker of the house welcomed the new basic law, saying it "acknowledges Christianity as the basis of our civilization but it ensures moral freedom."

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Fidesz party head, said the constitution will allow Hungary to complete the transition to democracy, which started in 1989 when Hungary's communist regime collapsed.

Orban said the new legislation would put the country on sound economic footing and help prevent political scandals.

Niccolo and Donkey Tuesday 19 Apr 2011

Wall Street Journal :

The following is a list of the main items in the constitution that have raised concerns.

The life of the fetus shall be protected from the moment of conception

The government says that the present liberal regulation on abortion won’t change. However, Amnesty International said it’s concerned this provision will be used to justify legislative and administrative action restricting or even prohibiting abortion, in violation of the human rights of women.

Hungary protects the institution of marriage as a union between man and woman established by mutual consent, and the family as the foundation of the survival of the nation

The government says same-sex couples are entitled to registered partnerships, as provided for in the existing legal system. The European Court of Human Rights declared in ruling last year it no longer holds a view that “the right to marry … must in all circumstances be limited to marriage between two persons of the opposite sex,” although same-sex marriage is left to national regulation.
The European Court of Human Rights said “it’s artificial to maintain the view that, in contrast to a different-sex couple, a same-sex couple cannot enjoy ‘family life’.”

Hungary guarantees the fundamental rights to every person without any discrimination on account of race, color, disability, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origins, financial situation and birth or any other grounds whatsoever

Sexual orientation, included in EU fundamental documents, is missing from this catalog, the Helsinki Committee noted. It said this choice “expresses a preference for an explicitly defined family model, a certain way of life and conveys the message that it does not wish to become the constitution of those who wish to pursue a different way of life.”

The right to vote

Under the new constitution, Hungarians living abroad may receive the right to vote while they don’t have to take the consequences of the political decisions they’ll be making, the Helsinki Committee said.

Life imprisonment without parole will be possible, but only in cases of intentional, violent crimes

All prisoners should be entitled to a periodic review of their sentences, Amnesty International said.

The Constitutional Court can’t rule over matters affecting the state budget; the court will regain its powers related to fiscal and tax issues when public debt falls below 50% of gross domestic product

Hungary’s public debt, now at 80% of GDP, is the highest in central Europe. Reducing it is one of the top economic priorities of the government. Laszlo Solyom, a former Constitutional Court president, in an interview with political weekly Heti Valasz called the provision “painful cynicism,” saying the condition under which power will be restored to the court is “an illusion and cannot be delivered during our generation.”
The government disbanded the Fiscal Council, a whistle-blowing body, last year after criticism from the council of the cabinet’s economic policies. Economist Gabor Ambrus at economic research firm 4Cast said the debt-cutting plan “sounds good, but the watered-down powers of the Fiscal Council give reason for caution about giving too much credibility to such rules” written in the constitution.

The retirement age for judges will be 62 years instead of the present 70

Hungary’s top-ranking judges protested against that, calling the move a political attack on the independence of the courts. The move will affect several thousand cases that will need to be reassigned to new judges, slowing the legal process, they said. The move will allow the governing party to replace some senior-ranking judges with its own people, while the official retirement age will be raised to 65 years in a few years’ time, they also said. Top-ranking government officials, state secretaries and ambassadors don’t have such age limitations.

The official currency of Hungary will be the forint

The government says this statement in the constitution won’t affect Hungary’s ability to adopt the euro. Fidesz sees euro adoption as not realistic for Hungary until the end of this decade. Those opposing this part of the constitution said changing the constitution on this issue will require a two-thirds parliamentary majority, which will make the adoption of the euro more difficult.

The new constitution says that numerous issues it enshrines will be specified and regulated in Cardinal Acts, which will require the approval of two thirds of parliament to pass and amend.

These issues include family policy, the pension system or taxes, which used to be within the authority of the government in power. The Venice Commission was concerned these Cardinal Acts won’t be subject to constitutional review. This provision may enable the current government to effectuate a legal change that will last long after it loses power, the Helsinki Committee said.

Niccolo and Donkey Tuesday 19 Apr 2011

Soros' Human Rights Watch leads the attacks :

In a letter to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on April 15, Human Rights Watch raised concerns about provisions in the constitution that put the rights of people with disabilities, women, and LGBT people at risk, including:

Restrictions on the right to vote for people with "limited mental ability." This is likely to exclude many people with intellectual or mental disabilities from political participation, contrary to Hungary's human rights obligations as a party to the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;

A right to life for the fetus from the moment of conception. This could lead to efforts to overturn Hungary's abortion law and result in restrictions on abortion that would put a number of fundamental rights for women at stake; and

A definition of marriage as between a man and a woman while implying that a family based on marriage is the only type protected by the state. This denies LGBT people access to state protection for their families and relationships, and is inconsistent with Hungary's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Union Charter on Fundamental Rights.

Human Rights Watch is also concerned that civil society and opposition groups in Hungary were largely excluded from the process of drafting and reviewing the constitution. Numerous groups in and outside of Hungary called for essential changes and more time to debate and review the document, but the constitution, which was introduced for public debate in mid-March, passed the Parliament with few changes only a month later.

Team Zissou Tuesday 19 Apr 2011

Oh dear. Next thing you know, the Hungarians will be firing up the ovens.

Theo Wednesday 20 Apr 2011

Good stuff.

Niccolo and Donkey Friday 22 Apr 2011

An interesting take :

And, writing in January in the Observer about Fidesz’s new censorial media law, Nick Cohen said : ‘I will not call it a fascist country or even a neo-fascist country, but just note that an old, foul stench wafts from the “new society” Orbán’s patriots are building on the Danube.’ He is happy enough, however, to call the country an ‘ugly little state’.

Cohen is not alone in seeing some sinister goings-on in Hungary. Concerns have been raised at the lack of consensus behind the constitutional changes; the liberal LMP and the Socialists boycotted the process; even the far-right party Jobbik voted against it as none of its proposals had been included in the drafting.

Many are particularly alarmed at the possible erosion of civil liberties (eg, the bar on gay marriage) and of the rights of women (eg, the protection of the unborn child). One much remarked upon provision – to allow extra votes to parents on behalf of their children – did not make the cut but remains something for which the government may yet legislate. It’s a striking proposal to give real political weight to the family by abandoning the principle of one man one vote.

Many of the objections to the new constitution, from Hungarian and international NGOs, as well as Western liberal commentators, rest on its proclamation of traditional Christian, pro-family, and right-wing ideology. This is something its critics claim will be detrimental to the rights of women, single parents, atheists and gays. Protests planned for this weekend call the new constitution the ‘death of democracy’.

Niccolo and Donkey Wednesday 27 Apr 2011

Don't worry, liberal press outlets like Germany's Der Spiegel will make them look like they are:

Right-Wing Militants on Patrol -A New Wave of Anti-Roma Violence in Hungary

Just a harmless excursion. That is how the Hungarian government sought to portray the evacuation of some 270 Roma residents of Gyöngyöspata over Easter. The group -- two-thirds of the 450 Roma who live there -- had left the village due to a planned training exercise for the right-wing extremist group Vederö, an exercise ultimately prevented by the police.

But on Tuesday evening, right-wing Hungarian radicals struck again. According to the news service MTI, three people were injured in fights between right-wing radicals and Roma in the village. Seven people were arrested.

On Wednesday morning, dozens of right-wing extremists flooded the village, according to a statement released on Facebook by a group sympathetic to the country's Roma population. Large numbers of police likewise arrived in the village. Around 100 Roma left the village on Wednesday, MTI reported.

What caused the fights on Tuesday evening remains unclear. Right-wing radicals are said to have thrown stones at a Roma house in the village. Members of Vederö are thought to have been involved in the brawls on Tuesday, but members of the right-wing group Betyarsereg are also thought to have participated. The group sent "reinforcements" to Gyöngyöspata on Wednesday.
Erik Selymes of the Hungarian Red Cross said that the Easter trip had been organized at the request of the Roma and Hungarian government spokesman Peter Szijjarto called reports of an evacuation a "bald-faced lie."

Right-Wing Militants
But Gyöngyöspata, a town of 2,800 residents located northwest of Budapest, has for weeks been the focal point of conflict between right-wing militants and Roma. A resident of the village told Reuters last week that he sent his wife and children to Budapest to avoid confrontation with the right-wing vigilantes.

In March, the uniformed right-wing radical group Szebb Jövöert marched through the village several times, striking fear into the hearts of the Roma who live there. The group is openly supported by the right-wing party Jobbik, which is represented in the Hungarian parliament after having received 17 percent of the vote in elections a year ago. Opposition to the Roma in Hungary was a major plank in the party's campaign platform.

Several other villages with large numbers of Roma residents have likewise seen right-wing marches -- protests, the groups say, which are meant to highlight "gypsy criminality." In the small town of Hajdúhadháza, where members of Szebb Jövöert have been "patrolling" for weeks, five right-wing radicals were arrested 10 days ago for disturbing the peace. They were released just two days later. Gergely Rubi, a Jobbik member of parliament, said the group would continue its marches to "improve public order and security," the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine reported.

'Afraid to Go Out'
A separate Jobbik parliamentarian, János Volner, said the group is merely responding to the wishes of the populace and has "already caught several criminals red-handed and turned them over to the police," young Roma among them. Dénes Csáfordi, the mayor of Hajdúhadháza, has accused the group of creating an environment of fear in which Roma children "are afraid to go out on the street."

Niccolo and Donkey Saturday 30 Apr 2011

The far-right political party Jobbik is represented in the Hungarian parliament after having received 17 percent of the vote in elections a year ago. This 2008 photo shows the Hungarian Guard, a Jobbik-backed paramilitary group that was banned in 2009.

[IMG]

Roma carry their possessions through the village of Gyöngyöspata on Friday, April 22.

[IMG]

Members of Vederö. The planned training exercise was ultimately prevented by the police.

[IMG]

Member of the far-right group Vederö are seen in Gyöngyöspata on April 22.

Hungary's 'Orbanization' Is Worrying Europe

10 posts