U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry introduces financier and philanthropist George Soros at the U.S. Department of State’s Open Forum in Washington, D.C., on May 13, 2014. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
Not only did Fidesz, the party of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, win a majority of Hungary’s parliamentary seats, it won a super-majority of two thirds and will be able to enact constitutional changes with ease.
The victory is problematic for the establishment in Europe that wishes to expand Brussel’s influence. Orban has shown no interest in doing what he’s told by the EU, especially when it comes to allowing in immigrants.
In addition to the EU, George Soros has the most to lose from Orban’s strong win. Orban has railed against the influence of Soros backed organizations in Hungary and Europe. It is expected that Orban and Fidesz will take quick action targeting Soros & Co. in the country.
Shaun Walker writing for The Guardian reports:
Viktor Orbán embarks on another four years in power newly emboldened, after winning a crushing victory in a parliamentary vote on Sunday that will give him the power to remould Hungary.
For Hungary’s beleaguered liberals, who were unable to overcome internal divisions to unite against Fidesz and were trounced at the polls, a torrid four years are in store.
“This is the absolute worst-case scenario,” said Zsuzsanna Szelényi, a former independent MP. “This new majority coupled with the high turnout will mean Fidesz feels more legitimate, and Orbán will be able to use this new strength in its dealings with Brussels.”
Orbán will see the result as a resounding endorsement of the single-issue campaign he ran on immigration, using far-right rhetoric to claim the opposition would allow mass migration.
First on the agenda could be the controversial “stop Soros” set of laws. Meant to combat the supposed nefarious plots of the Hungarian-American financier George Soros to undermine Hungary.
Many observers believe that rather than the EU changing Hungary, there is more chance of a newly emboldened Orbán winning ground in his battle to reshape the EU. Although Orbán’s political language is of the far right, his Fidesz party is part of the European People’s party bloc in Brussels, a centre-right grouping that includes Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union party.
Read more here.
