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Death Of Democracy? Hungary Approves Orban’s Controversial Emergency Powers

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Topline: Hungary’s government has approved extraordinary powers that could see Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seize power indefinitely, as part of changes put in place to fight the coronavirus crisis. The move has prompted concerns among human rights watchers that the legislation could also be used to gag journalists.

  • Orbán’s Fidesz party, with an overwhelming majority, voted 137 to 53 to accept the government’s request to extend the country’s state of emergency declared because of coronavirus, for an unspecified amount of time, prompting concerns that the measures will not be rolled back once they are no longer needed.
  • The vote came despite a petition from more than 100,000 people who were against the move, while critics say the open-ended new measures could see independent journalists threatened with jail.
  • The new powers impose a prison sentence of up to five years for those thought to be spreading false information or people hindering measures to contain the spread of the virus.
  • Among the critics at the bill’s passing is Italy’s former prime minister, Matteo Renzi, who tweeted: “I’ve been dreaming about the United States of Europe for years. As such, I have a right and a duty to say that after what Orbán did today, the European Union MUST take a stand and change his mind. Or, more simply, kick Hungary out of the Union.”

  • But before passing the vote, state secretary Bence Retvari told the opposition: “This is an authorization limited both in time and scope . . . as it is solely related to the coronavirus and you are crying a dictatorship,” Reuters reported.
  • Hungary, like some of the hardest-hit countries in Europe, was put under lockdown on Friday, which is expected to last for two weeks. People will only be able to go out for essential trips, work and to exercise, while large gatherings are banned.
  • Orbán has indicated that the peak of cases in Hungary could come in July at the latest. There are 447 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Hungary as on Monday afternoon, while 15 people who had the virus have died.

Crucial comment: Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN commissioner on Human Rights, said of the legislation last week: “The bill appears to give the government practically unlimited powers to rule by decree and bypass parliamentary scrutiny with no clear cutoff date.   

“Under international human rights law, emergency legislation and measures should be strictly temporary, limited to addressing the situation at hand and contain appropriate safeguards. They must remain subject to meaningful legislative and judicial oversight.”

He added: “We are concerned, however, that the legislation as it is currently reported to be framed could negatively affect the legitimate work of journalists and have a potentially chilling effect on freedom of expression in Hungary.”

Key background: Orbán has gradually chipped away at democratic processes in Hungary over his ten years in power and silenced dissenting voices, and the latest measures have prompted opposition lawmakers to call for greater checks and balances. The state of emergency that was extended on Monday was first declared in 2015 by Orbán’s anti-immigration Fidesz party in response to the refugee crisis.

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