Orbán’s anti-semitic rhetoric puts Hungary at risk of full EPP expulsion. Now, Orbán may voluntarily leave the EPP and form a right-wing party alliance with Poland’s PiS Party. What will the EPP decide?
By Szonja Benczik
Retrieved from the Website of the Hungarian Government, press section
The suspension of Hungary’s governing Fidesz Party from the center-right European People’s Party (EPP) has taken a new turn as Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announces the possibility of leaving. In most recent news, the EPP upheld the suspension of the Fidesz Party on 3 Feb, but still remains divided on how to move forward. Despite the EPP’s condemnation, Hungary’s full expulsion from the EPP is unlikely.
Orbán’s poster campaign
In March 2019 the EPP suspended Hungary’s right-wing party over the alleged erosion of democratic norms and values, rule of law concerns and non-compliance with EU policies. However, Orban’s slanderous rhetoric proved to be the final provocation last year that led to 13 EPP members suspending the Hungarian party. When Orbán launched his poster campaign showing insulting photos of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and billionaire philanthropist George Soros, the European Commission retaliated with the party’s suspension.
“You too have a right to know what Brussels is preparing to do,” the posters read. Allegedly, Orbán used these posters to criticize the migration policies of the European Union, claiming EU leaders like Juncker, backed by Soros, want to bring mass migration into Europe. Orbán’s anti-semitic rhetoric is highlighted due to the fact that Soros, a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust in Hungary, is known for defending human rights and funding civil society groups who help migrants. “I can’t do anything about the fact that George Soros is a Hungarian of Jewish origin,” said Orbán.
With 190 EPP votes in favor of suspending the Party, the resulting consequences included Fidesz’s inability to attend meetings, vote or obtain leadership positions. This was especially detrimental for the party as EU elections were right around the corner.
Monitoring Fidesz’s compliance
Orbán claimed the resolution was “voluntary," and Fidesz simply paused its position within the EPP. Joseph Daul, the president of EPP at the time of Fidesz’s suspension, set up a committee consisting of the “Three Wise Men" who were tasked with evaluating the state of democracy in Hungary, monitoring Fidesz’s compliance with EU laws, and giving guidance to Donald Tusk (who became president of the EPP in December) on the expulsion of the party. During the political assembly in Brussels on 3 Feb, Tusk said he is “quite critical” when evaluating the decision to keep Orbán’s party inside. “[There will be] no redefinition of our fundamental values,” the official added.
Retrieved from the EPP press website
Will Fidesz join alliances with Poland’s PiS Party?
The case took a turning point in January when a senior member of Fidesz, Gábor G. Fodor, announced on Hungarian national television that he sees it “unlikely” that Fidesz will stay in the EPP, even though the party represented their will to remain a member. Additionally, Orbán met with Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) on 8 Jan after emerging speculations that Fidesz “planned to leave the EPP”. Both parties had been in conflict with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker over how to manage migration, and both have similar political views on issues like media freedom, judicial independence, and rule of law. The two leaders intended to discuss the joint activities of both parties in European politics, but no conclusion was reached as to whether the two parties would join forces.
Consequences of Fidesz’s expulsion
The expulsion of Fidesz would create tension between the parties of the EPP since two large members, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Christian Social Union CSU in Bavaria (CSU), expressed their concerns against the decision. Secondly, rather than breaking off and establishing their own party based on their own rules, Fidesz could be better controlled and monitored if they remained in the EPP. Thirdly, the weakening of EPP could lead to the split of the party or could result in the emergence of smaller European parties, which could ultimately develop into a segmented EU. Many center-right officials have expressed concerns about the situation in Hungary but prefer to keep Fidesz in the EPP rather than see the Hungarian party join a rival group.
Photo credit: Christian Wiediger (Unsplash)
“There are certain aspects of what the Hungarian government does that I don’t fully understand,” Latvian Prime Minister Krišjanis Karinš, a member of the EPP, said.
“Right now I’m personally in the view that it’s always best to try and understand the thinking we have in our own member states, to raise issues that are of concern, and to try to resolve them,” the prime minister said.
Based on Orbán’s good relationship with Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, there is a possibility that Fidesz could join forces, making them the second most influential member. Although Fidesz is seen as problematic in one party, it is likely to be appreciated among leaders in another. It is possible that the right decision for Fidesz would be to leave EPP, since keeping the party in suspension could show that the EPP cannot come to a decision on Hungary’s fate within the transnational party.
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Szonja Benczik
Contributing Writer
Szonja from Budapest is an undergraduate student at Webster Vienna Private University where she majors in International Relations and minors in History and Management. Her main areas of interest include Central European studies and environmental issues. She came to Vienna to take advantage of the opportunities the city has to offer for IR students, but is also completely amazed by the architecture and culture of the Austrian capital. She is also involved in reporting on university events and writing about cultural topics for World Dip magazine.