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Hungary is no longer a democracy

by IdiotSavant Fri Sep 16th, 2022 at 03:52:18 AM EST

Since his election in 2010, Viktor Orbán has shifted Hungary sharply away from democracy and the rule of law, changing the constitution to stack the electoral system and the courts against his opponents, while dismantling the independent media. And now, the European Parliament has recognised the truth: that one of its members is no longer a democracy:

Hungary can no longer be considered a full democracy, the European parliament has said in a powerful symbolic vote against Viktor Orbán's government.

In a resolution backed by 81% of MEPs present to vote, the parliament stated that Hungary had become a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy", citing a breakdown in democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law.

While the vote has no practical effect, it heightens pressure on EU authorities in Brussels not to disburse billions in EU cash to Hungary that is being withheld over concerns about corruption.

Democracy is supposed to be a foundation of the EU, and its appalling that Hungary has been allowed to diverge this far from European principles before the Parliament has stepped in. And along with Poland, it shows that the EU needs effective mechanisms to sanction its own members to ensure their conformity with European law.

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Hungary is no longer a democracy | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: Hungary is no longer a democracy (none / 0)
... it shows that the EU needs effective mechanisms to sanction its own members to ensure their conformity with European law.

Nonsense, the failure is at the entry level of new members. This is called sovereignty of states especially where there are "free" elections. Glad EU democracy and elections are not modeled after America.


'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Fri Sep 16th, 2022 at 06:17:49 AM EST
Re: Hungary is no longer a democracy (none / 1)
Membership in the EU requires commitment to certain basic principles: democracy, human rights, the rule of law. That's what members signed up for when they joined. Its not unreasonable to expect them to keep that promise, or for the EU to sanction (and ultimately eject) members who depart from those principles (if they don't eject themselves first).

And that said: greater care in assessing new members would help prevent such problems in future, and things would be better if the EU had taken such care in the past.

by IdiotSavant on Fri Sep 16th, 2022 at 07:55:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Tell that to Ukraine. (none / 0)
by Cat on Fri Sep 16th, 2022 at 03:13:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Tell that to Ukraine. (none / 0)
They seem quite eager to embrace EU principles.
by IdiotSavant on Sat Sep 17th, 2022 at 12:16:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Tell that to Ukraine. (none / 0)
... eager to embrace EU principles $$$ billions."

Ukraine 🇺🇦 is a will be worse than Hungary 🇭🇺 , Romania 🇷🇴 and Poland 🇵🇱 put together!

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) Country ranking Ukraine dropped from 117 to 122 in the year 2021.

CPI top-scoring countries sliding backwards

The CPI results over the past decade demonstrate that top-scoring countries have little to show for their efforts to protect the integrity of their own public sectors. For some, the 2021 CPI has even captured regression.

EU expansion and enhanced division between "Old" and "New" has led to the destruction of the EU founding principles. The EU with the stance of France and Germany ahead of the devastating Iraq War is gone ...

Above four countries were willing to be bribed into participating in the illegalities of the War on Terror ... sending soldiers and accepting CIA torture and detention and/or Pentagon modern arms and missile or anti-rocket batteries. [PL minister of defense Radosław Sikorski] The Long War of American aggression across Europe after World War II which intensified after the end of the USSR.

The government of Ukraine was an independent operator in arms and RE racketeering until the EU, acting as NATO's lead agent, made Viktor Yanukovich an offer he should not have refused

Related reading ...

Brave New World: Global Compliance and Business Risk Panorama After Russian Invasion in Ukraine

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Sat Sep 17th, 2022 at 07:28:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Tell that to Ukraine. (none / 0)
Let's not forget Bulgaria, one of the most corrupt EU states.
by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Sep 19th, 2022 at 05:17:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Israel on the Danube (none / 0)
and more

euronews | Bosnia, Bulgaria, Brazil[,]* and Latvia: Your guide to what happened during a busy election weekend, 3 Oct

* neither NATO nor EU member applicant

by Cat on Mon Oct 3rd, 2022 at 11:25:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Hungary is no longer a democracy (none / 1)
or for the EU to sanction (and ultimately eject) members who depart from those principles

Unfortunately, the EU has no mechanism to expel misbehaving members against their will. Article 50 must be invoked by a member state - won't happen with Hungary, one of the largest net receivers of the EU budget.

The unanimity rule also allows member states to block important decisions and Orbán has known how to use this to deflect any threats to his gravy train.

Article 7 is also mostly toothless: it needs unanimity of all member states minus the accused one; so far Poland has been blocking actions against Hungary and vice versa. Interestingly enough, their diverging stance on Ukraine, to put it mildly, may end this de facto illiberal alliance. We'll see.

Things are still moving against Hungary, but at a glacial pace.

by Bernard (bernard) on Mon Sep 19th, 2022 at 05:16:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Poland (none / 0)
How's that infringement victory coming along? Also, has the EC received any payments??
by Cat on Mon Sep 19th, 2022 at 05:26:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Poland (none / 0)
Politico.eu.com | EU gives Hungary an off-ramp on democratic norms, 22 Sep
intransparent has entered the room.
by Cat on Thu Sep 22nd, 2022 at 02:32:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Re: Hungary is no longer a democracy (none / 0)

@ 00:28:00: How to "remove the veto rights of member states"

archived "pragmatic federalism"

by Cat on Thu Sep 22nd, 2022 at 03:44:23 PM EST
Mystery of the Week (none / 1)
How Andrej Babiš clutches the least dirty shirt in vdL's hamper

euractiv | Czechia ["]opposition["] party wins most major cities in local election

Czechs voted in more than 6,000 municipalities on Friday and Saturday, with the final results declared on Sunday morning due to a complicated system of vote distribution.

The [Babiš-owned] ANO party, in opposition since last autumn [2021?], won in 17 out of 27 large cities, but it came second in the two largest ones - the capital Prague and Brno, where parties of the current ruling coalition won.
[...]
Among the individual parties, ANO came out behind two parties of the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Fiala's Civic Democrats, and the Christian Democrats.[...] Regardless of the second round results, the ruling coalition will maintain its majority in the Senate.


archived
2021 Czech Elections Razor Thin Defeat Babis
Chech Republic PM takes off MAGA hat
teflon Andrej
2019, Prague call for Czech PM's resignation
Visegrád 4 and Israel's Netanyahu
2018, Novichok: Cui Bono?
.
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2013 ow Babiš will change the Czech Republic
by Cat on Mon Sep 26th, 2022 at 09:55:16 PM EST
Hungary is no longer a democracy | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)


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