Over a month ago, the Hungarian parliament granted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán powers to ‘rule by decree’ during the coronavirus pandemic. This week, Nordic nations became the latest to raise concerns about the controversial law that has provoked international criticism.
The foreign ministries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway wrote to the Council of Europe–the EU’s main human rights body–on May 6, echoing the Council’s concerns about democratic backsliding in the country, stating that, “even in an emergency situation, the rule of law must prevail”.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó said on Sunday that he would summon the ambassadors of the Nordic nations on Monday as Hungary “wanted no pitiful hypocritical tutelage” and reiterated Budapest would go its own way. He also accused the countries of spreading “fake news” about the emergency powers granted to PM Orbán, and called on northern European nations to “mind their own business.”
The Monday meeting was attended by the ambassadors of Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Iceland’s mission to Hungary is based in Vienna.
Orbán has been at odds with EU institutions since taking power in 2010, challenging them over allegations against his government’s economic policies, corruption, and hardline immigration stance. After the Council of Europe first sounded the alarm over Hungary’s new law on March 24, Orbán told the EU that he does not hold unlimited powers, and that the parliament could withdraw the law at any time. However, given that his Fidesz party holds a two-thirds majority, such an outcome remains unlikely.
In recent weeks, Orbán’s government has also provoked criticism over its attacks on gender equality and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, and asylum seekers and migrants–all of which feed into a broader backsliding of the rule of law in the country. On May 5, the parliament rejected the ratification of a regional treaty to combat violence against women, an issue of special concern as reports of domestic violence increase during COVID-19 lockdowns. The government justified its decision by stating that the measure promotes “destructive gender ideologies” and “illegal migration”.
A recent study conducted by Freedom House describes a “stunning democratic breakdown” in the Eastern European country, and categorizes Hungary as a “hybrid regime”, having lost its status as a “semi-consolidated democracy” due to PM Orbán’s continued assaults on the country’s democratic institutions.
Image Source: Politico
