In the elections last Sunday Fidesz,
the ruling party of Hungary with leader Victor Orban, won with 53% of
the votes against 35% for the united opposition. That gives them 135
of 190 seats in parliament, or a 2/3 majority. That allows them to
change to constitution in their favour, as they have done in the
past.
Victor Orban is a friend of Vladimir
Putin. For example, Hungary approved of the annexation of Crimea and
opposed European sanctions against Russia after the invasion of
Ukraine. It was thought that that closeness would play agains Fidesz
in the elections, but apparently the opposite has happened. Since the
voters were afraid of Russia, they wanted to stay on Putin’s good
side. So who better to support than Putin’s friend Victor Orban ?
That is cowardice. It stands in contrast to Ukrainian valor. Poland also opposes rather than appeases
Russia out of fear. Bullies
are best dealt with by standing up united against them. Appeasing
them may be good for you, but it comes at the expense of other
victims, as it
makes the bully stronger. The Kremlin invaded Ukraine because it had
learned from past reactions to its agression that it could get away
with such behaviour.
Probably most Hungarians don’t know
the long term damage they are doing. If they had, Fidesz would
probably have been less successful. So it is not just cowerdice; it
is also ignorance. Winston Churchill once said : “The best argument
against democracy is the a five minute conversation with the average
voter.” There must be many average voters in Hungary.
Although Hungarian democracy has been
weakened, it was still within the people’s power to oust an
autocrat. Thanks to the European Union that will probably still be
possible in four years. Whether this result is good for Hungary
(their friendship with Russia gives them safety and cheaper gas) in
the long run remains to be seen, but it is bad for Europe in general
and especially for Ukraine.
The Fidesz government handed out many
presents during the election campaign and are now hoping to benefit
from the Corona-fund of the EU. Of course that fund must remain
blocked. It is not the EU’s duty to fund the election campaigns of
parties that undermine European values.
