PM Viktor Orbán to join the European far-right?
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Remarks from Jobbik MEP Márton Gyöngyösi:
One of the most interesting questions of the past weeks is how much the Viktor Orbán-led Hungarian governing party Fidesz’ expulsion from the European People’s Party will stir up the still waters of European party groups. Now that Orbán’s European ambitions have finally gone up in smoke as he is removed from the EPP, the Hungarian PM is trying to forge some sort of alliance with the far right forces that sympathize with him. He is unlikely to succeed for several reasons, as it was shown by the meeting held in Budapest last week.
In early April, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán met his Polish colleague Mateusz Morawiecki and the head of Italy’s Lega, Matteo Salvini in Budapest.
Before the meeting, the media was making assumptions whether the discussion would result in the birth of a new, far-right party family in European politics. For the time being, it doesn’t seem so.
Ever since Fidesz was kicked out of the People’s Party, it’s been a subject of debate where Fidesz, a party that drifted from Christian Democracy to the far right with its smear campaigns and anti-Semitic phraseology, will find its new allies, or will it perhaps be left alone in Europe’s political arena for good?
In the first round, most bets were perhaps on Fidesz joining an already existing, characteristically right-wing party family.
However, as time goes on, this seems like a less than viable option for Orbán’s party. Although Fidesz maintains particularly good relations with Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS), which is a leading force in the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, Fidesz’ admittance would likely lead to the immediate explosion of the ECR.
It’s hard to imagine that the smaller Conservative-Liberal, pro-market parties, which joined the ECR back when it was dominated by the British Tories, would welcome the presence of Fidesz,
a party infamous for its corrupt dealings and authoritarian tendencies to expand its control over the state by putting its own people in every key position. Not to mention that most ECR member parties (including PiS) are typically critical of Moscow, which would hardly be compatible with Fidesz’ suspiciously amicable relations with the Russian leadership.
The other option for Fidesz is to join the openly far-right Identity and Democracy (ID) party family.
However, this group has more than just one big party: Orbán would join a company of such players as France’s National Rally (RN), Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the Lega itself. Compared to them, Orbán could only play second fiddle, despite his government positions. This role would hardly suffice for Orbán’s self-image. Not to mention that getting in the same group with AfD and RN would be an open declaration of war against the current German and French leadership, which is a challenge Fidesz is not likely to take on, despite
Orbán’s willingness to cause a series of domestically motivated diplomatic scandals.
On the other hand, this is clearly the group where Fidesz’ political line and pro-Russia attitude would be a relatively seamless fit.
A Jobbik politician who lectures others on anti-semitism. The world is really becoming a funny place.
Orban’s and FIDESZ’s goal is not to play an important role in the incompetent socialist EU parliament. The goal is to keep unwanted people out of the country, improve the lives of its citizens. Mr. Orban voiced his agenda clearly, patriotism, law and order and common sense should prevail in a FIDESZ government.
It is too bad the members of the EU Parliament and leftist media members either did not listen or just too dumb to understand.
HUNGARY IS FOR HUNGARIANS ONLY!!! The rest of the EU could go to …….
Illiberal democracy. Creeping authoritarianism.