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Celerity

(42,666 posts)
Wed Apr 1, 2020, 07:45 PM Apr 2020

How Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban, gets away with it



He takes near-dictatorial powers, while the EU does nothing

https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/04/01/how-hungarys-leader-viktor-orban-gets-away-with-it



LIKE A BOND villain, Viktor Orban cannot resist revealing his plans. The Hungarian prime minister has never hidden his desire to entrench himself in power. Before taking office in 2010, he remarked ominously: “We have only to win once, but then properly.” True to his word, when handed a big enough majority by Hungarian voters, Mr Orban hollowed out the Hungarian state, rewriting its constitution, purging the country’s courts and nobbling the media. In 2013 he told an interviewer: “In a crisis, you don’t need governance by institutions.” Again, he has followed through. A law enacted on March 30th means Mr Orban can rule by decree—bypassing parliament—until the coronavirus crisis is over. In films the villain is thwarted after revealing his hand. But Mr Orban is up against the European Union, not James Bond, so he succeeds.

No one can say there was no warning. Mr Orban’s career—which has encompassed everything from anti-Soviet liberalism to right-wing nationalism via Christian Democracy—has been dedicated to the accumulation and maintenance of power, rather than the pursuit of principle. Those who knew him well saw what was to come. In 2009 Jozsef Debreczeni, the author of a critical biography, warned: “Once he is in possession of a constitutional majority, he will turn this into an impregnable fortress of power.” A combination of careful strategy, political cunning and a dash of luck have made this prediction come true.

To the frustration of those who have spent the past decade trying to stop him via legal means, Mr Orban is more astute they think. His “reforms” tend to reach the edge of legal acceptability, but no further. If Mr Orban ever does hit a legal obstacle, he surrenders some gains, while keeping the bulk of them. (The Hungarian leader even has a name for this legal waltz: the peacock dance.) Opposition figures, civil-rights monitors and commentators around the globe have denounced the latest move as a big step towards dictatorship. Yet, so far, the European Commission has pledged only to examine it. This mealy-mouthed response stems from the fact that its lawyers see little glaringly wrong with the act as it is composed. On paper, Hungary’s parliament can end the state of emergency if the government oversteps the mark. In practice, this probably would not happen. Mr Orban’s Fidesz party—over which he has had near absolute control for nearly three decades—has two-thirds of the seats in parliament. It is in this gap between legal theory and political reality that Mr Orban thrives.

Luck plays its part in Mr Orban’s success. Hungary is a small country. For EU officials, the erosion of the rule of law in, say, Poland with its 40m citizens matters far more in practice if not principle. Mr Orban has consequently been free to attack the EU institutions that bankroll his country to the tune of 6% of GDP in some years without generating a fatal backlash from Brussels. Hungary slips down the order of business when leaders are busy with other things, such as a pandemic. Mr Orban has also been fortunate in his opponents. In 2006, while Mr Orban sat in opposition, the then Hungarian prime minister was recorded slating his own government. (“Obviously we have been lying our heads off for the past one-and-a-half, two years.”) A mammoth majority for Mr Orban followed. Hungary’s opposition parties have failed to coalesce. When they do manage to rub along, they succeed. Opposition parties won local elections in Budapest last year.

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How Hungary's leader, Viktor Orban, gets away with it (Original Post) Celerity Apr 2020 OP
Orban rso Apr 2020 #1
an article than invokes james bond should be taken thus. with far fewer words, orban makes Pillow talk Apr 2020 #2
that's very over-simplistic, sorry, and you get zero points for the weak snark either, welcome to DU Celerity Apr 2020 #3
thanks Pillow talk Apr 2020 #4
lol, cleverclogs isn't a look I would aspire to, but by all means, wear it with pride Celerity Apr 2020 #5
Its more rube goldberg Pillow talk Apr 2020 #6
Thanks for posting Celerity, what's happening in Hungary & with Orban appalachiablue Apr 2020 #7

rso

(2,262 posts)
1. Orban
Wed Apr 1, 2020, 07:54 PM
Apr 2020

It’s simple, his Party controls the legislature (Parliament). If Don the Con had such an overwhelming control of Congress, he would most likely try the same takeover.

 

Pillow talk

(265 posts)
2. an article than invokes james bond should be taken thus. with far fewer words, orban makes
Wed Apr 1, 2020, 08:01 PM
Apr 2020

the international fascist, with thick wallets very happy.

appalachiablue

(41,055 posts)
7. Thanks for posting Celerity, what's happening in Hungary & with Orban
Wed Apr 1, 2020, 09:11 PM
Apr 2020

needs close attention, esp. on the FascistDictatorRisingMeter. And to think he used to be on the left, so I read.



'Shoes On The Danube Bank' memorial to Jews killed by the Arrow Cross in WWII.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoes_on_the_Danube_Bank

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