Hungarian Democracy in Crisis

Gazeta.pl reports on the latest measure implemented by Hungary to ‘fight the coronavirus’. Earlier this week, the Hungarian Parliament approved a bill that will allow the government to avoid any interference of the parliament or the courts for as long as Orban deems necessary. Local elections and referenda are also suspended. The state of emergency is of unlimited duration, which brings about concerns about dictatorship and authoritarian rule. Gazeta.pl refers to the situation as a ‘corona coup’, since Orban now has full, indivisible rule over the state. The adopted bill also introduces a punishment of up to five years in prison for those who spread ‘lies’, targeting mostly independent press and journalists. Surprisingly, the EU's response has been rather mild so far. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, released a short statement referring to how emergency measures should not be taken at the expense of fundamental principles and values, however, she did not directly mention Hungary or Orban.

According to Lidovky, there seems to be no consensus amongst Czech MEPs on Orban's new bill, as some see the situation in Hungary as dire and leading to dictatorship, while others say that EU membership means that Orban should be trusted and that the European Parliament should focus on financial assistance to aid Member States during the crisis. The article notes that the emergency decree seems drastic in comparison to other measures in the country, as shops and restaurants can remain open until 3 pm and citizens are not required to wear masks. Meanwhile, some Czech MEPs have taken a strong stance on the issue. Radka Maxová MEP sent a complaint to the European Commission, stating that emergency bills need to follow rules. This bill, however, was designed in a way that allows Orban to do almost anything. Alexandr Vondra MEP disagrees, as he believes that the EU has other things to focus on at the moment and that the draconian laws implemented by Member States will soon be over and everything will return to normal.

Le Vif investigates how the Hungarian Prime Minister turned an EU Member State into a dictatorship. Taking advantage of the coronavirus crisis, Viktor Orban strengthened his power by prolonging the state of emergency allowing him to suspend the use of certain laws by decrees. While he claims the law will guarantee the health and security of citizens, his bill also introduces heavy prison terms: five years for the dissemination of fake news, and eight years for non-compliance with containment measures. According to Le Vif, the most worrying thing about this law is that these measures have been taken without limitation in duration. Without any power to counter Orban, Hungary is now a formal dictatorship. The situation in Hungary opens up a broader debate about the freedoms that have been put aside in the name of the health emergency. Most states in the EU have implemented emergency laws to contain the virus, but some politicians might use this period of crisis as an opportunity to strengthen and misuse their power.

While all eyes have been on Orban's new controversial bill this week, Deutsche Welle runs an article that recalls Hungary's new national school curriculum that the Hungarian Prime Minister presented in January and that will be launched in autumn. The article notes how Hungary's school system is on the brink of collapse, as the modernisation of the system has been put off for years. The outbreak of COVID-19 has now brought education in the country to a standstill as schools are closed and the state's online learning platform and internet connections regularly break down. Meanwhile, teachers are heavily critising the proposed new curriculum, which focuses on nationalism and pride, promotes antisemitism, mixes myths with facts, portrays authoritarian leaders in a positive light and erases Hungary's wartime defeats from the books. Critics fear that the curriculum will distort students' views of history and deter critical thinking. They suspect Fidesz is using schools as a battefield in what the article describes as a culture war, as the government party continues to centralise and control education and cultural institutions in Hungary.