Hungary parties divided on outcome of EPP meeting

Hungary’s political parties were divided on the outcome of Wednesday’s meeting of the European People’s Party’s political assembly where Fidesz agreed to suspend its membership in the centre-right grouping. Fidesz declared the debate a failed attempt by the pro-migration delegates to expel the party while the opposition called it a defeat for Fidesz.

Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader Máté Kocsis said that “while many demanded that the EPP expel Fidesz, including the European Socialists, Dutch MEP Judith Sargentini and — using the liberal media — [Democratic Coalition leader] Ferenc Gyurcsány,” the group decided neither to expel nor to suspend the party.

In fact, Fidesz has itself decided to “voluntarily suspend its participation” in the work of the EPP, he said.

The opposition Socialists said Fidesz had lost its interest representation powers [in the EU]. “Hungary, however, must not,” Bertalan Tóth said on Facebook. “It is now our job to defend Hungary’s interests in the EU since Viktor Orbán will no longer be able to do that,” he said. The Socialists will launch a signature drive so that Hungarians can express their will to keep the country in the EU, Tóth said.

Jobbik deputy leader Márton Gyöngyösi said in a statement that even though the EPP “allowed” Fidesz to agree to the suspension of its membership, it was still “clear” that Fidesz had “taken the first steps towards quitting the European Union”.