Hungary 2023-

25 March-6 April
New challenger to Viktor Orbán leads huge demonstration in Budapest
Péter Magyar, once an insider in the ruling Fidesz party, declares that ‘Change has started in Hungary which can’t be stopped’
(The Guardian) Tens of thousands of Hungarians protested against the country’s leadership on Saturday in one of the biggest demonstrations in years, organised by a former government insider who has shaken up Hungary’s political landscape.
Now, Magyar – who was previously married to Hungary’s former justice minister – is trying to build a new kind of opposition movement. On Saturday afternoon, young people, pensioners and families with children marched through central Budapest and tried to squeeze into the vast square in front of the parliament, with parts of the crowd spilling over to nearby streets.
Some carried signs bearing the names of their hometowns. Many waved Hungarian flags.
“From now, nothing will be as it’s been,” Magyar said as he made the case for a European-facing and meritocratic Hungary. “Change has started, which can’t be stopped,” he declared.
‘The time is here’: the ex-government insider shaking up Hungarian politics
Péter Magyar was a well-connected figure in the ruling Fidesz party. What prompted his transformation to Orbán critic?
It is a chaotic political saga that Hungarians are following like a soap opera.
A former government insider has become the talk of the country after he publicly broke with Hungary’s powerful leadership and declared he would launch a new political party.
His sudden transformation came as a bombshell, capturing the imaginations of many Hungarians who had lost hope of anything truly shifting in a country long dominated by Orbán. For more than a decade, the Hungarian leader has centralised power at home, increasingly extending his influence into the judiciary, media, universities and cultural institutions – all while cultivating closer ties to Moscow, Beijing and far-right movements across the globe.

7-12 March
Biden-Orbán feud heats up as Hungary summons envoy over ‘dictatorship’ diss
Budapest’s foreign minister fumes that it “is not obliged to tolerate lies, even from the president of the United States.”
(Politico) Hungary has hauled in the American ambassador for a dressing down after U.S. President Joe Biden’s remarks about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán wanting to run a “dictatorship.”
During a presidential campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Friday, Biden said that Orbán “doesn’t think democracy works and is looking for dictatorship,” after the Hungarian leader’s love-in with Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump in Florida last week.
Trump’s love for Viktor Orbán hints at what another Trump term will look like
The ex-president recently hosted the Hungarian kleptocrat, whom he’s called a ‘strong man’ and a real ‘boss’, at Mar-a-Lago
(The Guardian) Orbán has spent the past 14 years making his country into a kleptocratic autocracy right in the middle of the European Union. Obviously, Trump does not need general guidance from Orbán; he is already endowed with authoritarian instincts. But, for all the obvious differences between Orbán’s small European nation and the US, Orbán’s rule holds concrete lessons which the American right is ready to adopt. Given the excitement with which Trump acolytes have been promoting Orbán – and their frequent pilgrimages to Budapest as the capital of “national conservatism” – Hungary offers a preview of a second Trump term.
Lesson number one: if you want to control the country, you must completely control your own party. After losing two successive national elections at the beginning of this century, it looked like Orbán’s career might be finished. Instead, he managed to govern his Fidesz party with an iron grip. It is not an accident that far-right populist leaders everywhere treat their parties as personal vehicles, with no real internal debates, let alone dissent, tolerated.
I watched Hungary’s democracy dissolve into authoritarianism as a member of parliament − and I see troubling parallels in Trumpism and its appeal to workers
Gábor Scheiring, Fellow, Harvard University
(The Conversation) Hungarian leader and strongman Viktor Orbán, who presided over the radical decline of democracy in his country, is scheduled to meet with former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort on March 8, 2024.
Orbán has been Hungary’s prime minister since 2010. Under his leadership, the country became the first nondemocracy in the European Union – an “illiberal state,” as Orbán proudly declared. Trump expressed his admiration for Orbán and his authoritarian moves during their meeting at the White House in 2019.
I’ve followed their mutual romance with illiberalism for a long time. Although I am now in the U.S. as an academic, I was elected to the Hungarian Parliament in 2010 when Orbán’s rule started.
As the U.S. braces for a potential second Trump presidency, Americans may rightly wonder: Would Trump’s America mirror Orbán’s Hungary in its slide toward authoritarianism?

9-16 February
A Third Political Ally of Hungary’s Prime Minister Is Forced to Resign
The sex scandal underlying the resignation has challenged the ‘family values’ image Viktor Orban’s authoritarian government has tried to promote.
(NYT) A snowballing scandal in Hungary over the pardoning of a man convicted of covering up pedophilia in a children’s home forced the third resignation in a week on Friday of an important political ally of the country’s authoritarian prime minister, Viktor Orban.
The departure of Zoltan Balog, a former government minister, from the leadership of the Hungarian Reformed Church followed the resignations last weekend of Hungary’s president, Katalin Novak, and Judit Varga, a former Justice minister and a leading figure in Fidesz, Mr. Orban’s conservative governing party.
All three have been at the forefront of Mr. Orban’s efforts to present Hungary as a bastion of family values, committed to fending off what Fidesz reviles as “woke globalists” intent on undermining Christianity and Hungarian sovereignty through L.G.B.T.Q. “propaganda” imported from the outside.
Hungary’s Orbán faces a rare political crisis at home after president’s resignation
(AP) — Hungary’s long-serving government of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán faces a rare political crisis after the president, a member of Orbán’s ruling party, resigned amid public anger over her pardoning of a man convicted in a child sexual abuse case.
President Katalin Novák’s weekend resignation came after it was revealed that she issued a pardon in April 2023 to a man convicted of hiding child sexual abuses in a state-run children’s home. Former Justice Minister Judit Varga also announced her resignation from a seat in parliament over her role in endorsing the decision.
Some of Orbán’s opponents say the resignations of two senior members of his nationalist Fidesz party are not enough, and that Orbán must bear the political consequences.
Protesters demand Hungarian president’s resignation over a pardon in a child sexual abuse case

2023

17 December
How Hungary Undermined Europe’s Bid to Aid Ukraine
Prime Minister Viktor Orban used E.U. rules on unanimous decisions to sink a $52 billion package strongly backed by larger countries.
(NYT) The European Union has a population of around 450 million and one of the world’s biggest economies.
So how is it that Hungary, a small country with only 10 million people and a lackluster economy blighted by high inflation, this past week steamrollered Europe’s plan to throw Ukraine a financial lifeline worth $52 billion?
The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, torpedoed the aid package, strongly supported by much bigger countries like Germany, France and Poland, by exploiting the power of veto held by each of 27 member states over key decisions relating to foreign and security policy and spending.
The requirement for unanimity on important matters, designed to ensure that small countries have a voice, but which many see as a grave design flaw, means that no decision gets taken unless everyone is on board.
… There are growing concerns, however, that Mr. Orban wants to paralyze decision-making in pursuit of a broader ambition: upending the European Union in its current form and remaking it in Hungary’s image as a bastion against liberal values, immigrants and what he calls the “woke movement and gender ideology.” Hungary, he says, is a “counter model” that works.

22 November
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán threatens to blow up EU’s Ukraine policy
In a letter to Charles Michel, the Hungarian leader demands full review of EU policy on Ukraine.
(Politico Eu) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is threatening to block all European Union aid for Ukraine, as well as the country’s future accession to the bloc, unless EU leaders agree to review their entire strategy of support for Kyiv, according to a letter seen by POLITICO.
In the letter, addressed to European Council chief Charles Michel, the Hungarian leader says that no decision on funding for Ukraine, the opening of accession talks to the EU, or further sanctions against Russia can be taken until this “strategic discussion” happens when leaders gather in Brussels in mid-December.
“The European Council should take stock of the implementation and effectiveness of our current policies towards Ukraine including various assistance programs,” Orban writes in the letter, which is undated but bears the stamp of his office.

30 August
Hungary’s Orbán urges US to ‘call back Trump’ to end Ukraine war in Tucker Carlson interview
(AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in a sprawling interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that the only path to ending the war in Ukraine would be the reelection of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.
In the interview, posted Wednesday on Carlson’s page on X, formerly known as Twitter, the nationalist Orbán praised Trump’s foreign policy while blasting President Joe Biden’s administration and its approach to the war.
Although Trump faces criminal charges for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election, returning the former president to office would be “the only way out” of the conflict, Orbán argued, calling any suggestion that Ukraine could defeat Russia “a lie.”

21 August
Orbán hosts Erdoğan and other eastern leaders on Hungary’s National Day
(Euro news) Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a self-proclaimed proponent of “illiberal democracy”, is often characterised by his aggressive stance toward the West and was expected to use the talks to boost bilateral ties with Eastern partners.
Prime Minister Orbán received the leaders of Turkey, Serbia, Qatar and a host of Central Asian nations on Sunday in a sign of the European country’s continuing drift toward the Eastern sphere of influence.
The nationalist leader arranged numerous bilateral meetings with his eastern counterparts against a backdrop of St. Stephen’s Day celebrations (Hungary’s National Day commemorating the foundation of the state more than 1,000 years ago) and the world track championships.
Budapest is playing host to the 2023 athletics tournament and will also provide a forum for talks with business leaders from China over the nine-day event.
In a closed-door meeting, Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reportedly discussed bilateral cooperation, the war in Ukraine and Sweden’s accession to NATO however energy security was supposedly the primary focus of talks between leaders, according to Hungary’s Foreign Ministry.
Hungary’s foreign minister Péter Szijjártó told the press on Friday that the flow of gas from Serbia to Hungary will have to be increased if Ukraine terminates its gas transit contract with Russia. Budapest will also be looking to secure natural gas supplies from Qatar and Azerbaijan.

World Athletics Championships 2023
The 2023 World Athletics Championships, the nineteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships, are being held from 19 to 27 August 2023 at the National Athletics Centre, in Budapest, Hungary.
These are the first World Athletics Championships in Hungary.

6 June
Watch out Ukraine, here comes the Hungaro-Austrian Empire
European officials warn that wins by pro-Russian forces in Slovakia and Austria would hand Russian President Vladimir Putin a powerful tool against Ukraine, making it easier for him to undermine sanctions and EU efforts to assist Ukraine.
(Politico Eu) That would spell major trouble for the European Union, which is already struggling to cope with Hungary, where nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has systematically taken control of all major levers of power and undermined independent media, transforming the country into what critics see as a semi-authoritarian state in the middle of the EU.

28 March
Hungary has approved Finland joining NATO. But its delays raise deeper concerns.
(Atlantic Council) On Monday, Hungary’s legislature approved Finland’s accession to NATO, 265 days after Helsinki signed the protocols to join. The vote moves the long-delayed process forward, but it still leaves unaddressed both when exactly Hungary will take up Sweden’s accession and why the Hungarian government has taken so long. After all, it took the first twenty-eight NATO members fewer than ninety days to ratify both Finland and Sweden’s accession. Hungary and Turkey have been the holdouts, and while they have shared this status, it is important to look at the differences in how Budapest and Ankara have handled the process. Doing so raises new concerns about Hungary’s approach to the Alliance beyond the specific issue of this enlargement.
The reasons Turkey has taken longer are well documented. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been quite clear on his major interests related to arms exports and in particular to Stockholm’s attitude toward Kurdish groups with alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union (EU). And Turkey’s lengthy process toward ratification has strained Alliance cohesion and made happy its enemies, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin. That’s not a small deal.
Still, Turkey early on presented detailed arguments and conditions that allies could debate and sort out. In contrast, Budapest has been opaque on the reasons why it delayed ratification on Finland and continues to do so for Sweden. Given that other allies delivered more than six months ago, lack of time has long ceased to be an acceptable excuse.

7 March
George Friedman: Hungary and Russia
(Geopolitical Futures) … Hungary, fairly alone among European nations, has developed a singularly friendly relationship with Russia. Recall that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited Moscow shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Orban was seen conversing with Russian President Vladimir Putin about war and making a deal for a large amount of Russian natural gas to be delivered to Hungary. More important, Hungary refused to join the coalition coalescing to resist Russia. As recently as last week, Orban said that the fight between Russia and Ukraine is not a matter of concern to Hungary. Hungary was therefore the country in Europe least committed to supporting Ukraine and most enjoying its relationship with Russia. …
When he saw that war with Russia was coming, he assumed the West would either fail to defend Ukraine or collapse in the face of Russian power. Like others, he expected Western help to be limited, Ukraine to be rapidly overrun by Russia, and a new political and institutional structure to be established in Europe. This reasonably led to moving close to Russia and separating himself from Western powers. The fact that his assumptions were wrong has forced him into a difficult position. If Ukraine falls, Russia will occupy the eastern border of NATO – a border shared by Poland, Hungary and Romania. The next Russian move, in the face of the defeat of NATO, would likely run through Hungary, whose terrain enables relatively easy passage. NATO would therefore have to deploy soldiers to Hungary to block Russia. Hungary is a marginal player in the Ukraine war, but if Russia overtakes Ukraine, moves into Central Europe and establishes a new balance of power, Hungary will be a key battleground – in which case Orban’s relationship with Putin will mean little. So long as the Ukrainian war continues Hungary is secure. That changes if either Russia or the West scores a decisive victory. From Budapest’s point of view, the situation can get out of control.

Hungarian delegation backs Sweden’s NATO application
(AP) — A parliamentary delegation from Hungary said Tuesday that it supports Sweden’s NATO membership bid after meeting the speaker of the Swedish parliament to iron out what Hungary’s governing party has called “political disputes.”
Some Hungarian lawmakers have raised doubts about whether to support the NATO membership applications by Sweden and Finland, citing what they call “blatant lies” from Stockholm and Helsinki on the state of Hungary’s democracy.
But the Hungarian delegation indicated Tuesday that the parliament in Budapest would ultimately ratify Sweden’s NATO bid.

31 January
Hungary FM: Sweden should ‘act differently’ to join NATO
(AP) — Sweden’s government should “act differently” if it wants to clinch Turkish support for its bid to join NATO, Hungary’s foreign minister said Tuesday, adding that a recent Quran-burning protest outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm was “unacceptable.”
Peter Szijjarto made the remark at a news conference following talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Hungary’s capital Budapest. Both diplomats addressed the Jan. 21 anti-Turkish protest that increased tensions between Ankara and Stockholm as Sweden seeks Turkey’s approval to join the military alliance.
… The meeting in Budapest came as Turkey and Hungary remain the only two NATO members that haven’t approved bids by Sweden and Finland to join the military alliance. … Cavusoglu said Turkey shares Hungary’s wish for NATO enlargement, but that it was now “impossible for us to confirm (Sweden’s) accession” into the alliance. He called the Quran-burning protest a “provocation which will take us nowhere, it can only lead to chaos.”
Ankara has also said it’s displeased with Sweden’s efforts to crack down on groups that Turkey considers to be terrorist or pose a threat to the country, including Kurdish groups. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Sweden should not expect Turkey’s support in its membership bid.

27 January
The ever-helpful Viktor Orban
Hungary’s Orban: Ukraine’s backers have ‘drifted’ into war
Hungary’s prime minister says Western countries that are providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia have already “drifted” into becoming active participants in the conflict
(AP) In an interview with Hungarian state radio, Viktor Orban said Germany’s Wednesday decision to send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks to Ukraine was emblematic of the increasing role Western countries are playing in the war, now in its 12th month.
Rather than arming Ukraine, the West should pursue “a cease-fire and peace talks,” Orban said, without giving details of what he imagined such negotiations would mean for Ukraine’s future territorial integrity.
“It started with the Germans saying they were willing to send helmets, because they wouldn’t send lethal tools into the war since that would mean participation in it. This is where we started,” Orban said. “Now, we’re at battle tanks, and they’re already talking about planes.”
Orban, who has refused to send weapons to neighboring Ukraine and has held up some European Union efforts to provide aid packages to Kyiv, has consistently argued against EU sanctions on Moscow and portrayed countries that assist Ukraine as being “on the side of war.”