Orban “unacceptable” in Europe, says opposition Egyutt, Socialists

Budapest (MTI) – Prime Minister Viktor Orban “did not come off well” in either of two recent debates focusing on Hungary — in the European Parliament and at a US House subcommittee hearing, the opposition Egyutt party said.

Orban was once again forced to defend his policies pursued since 2010, but it is clear that he has become “the lonely leader of Europe”, Nora Hajdu, the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson, told a press conference on Wednesday.

Both the issue of the death penalty and Hungary’s position on immigration would shock the EP and Orban has become a burden even on his own People’s Party, Hajdu said.

Orban’s remarks about Hungary being a homogeneous country just show that he is “either not familiar with Hungarian history or he is consciously misinterpreting it,” she added.

The opposition Socialists said it had become clear that Orban’s “xenophobic stance masked as a migration issue and his ideas on the death penalty are unaccaptable”.

Tamas Harangozo, deputy leader of the party’s parliamentary group, said the debate clearly showed that not only leftists and liberals but also Fidesz’s own conservative party group declared that the views of Orban and Fidesz were sharply against universal European values including even European Christian values.

Deputy leader of ruling Fidesz Lajos Kosa said Orban had defended Hungary at the EP session. He was able to say in the debate that it is not in the interest of Hungarian people that current European immigration trends should continue, he said. He added that Orban had also defended the right to discuss important questions of interest freely.

Europe should remain a continent of Europeans and Hungary a country of Hungarians, Orban said in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The right of decision-making on immigration should be returned to member states as Hungary is “unable to provide jobs for immigrants,” he said in the debate.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters