The recent entry in the European Union granted the Hungarian country has not deterred it from passing constitutional amendments that all but eliminate democracy. Not only, but the changes are retroactive, which means that any decisions made prior to the amendments just passed late in 2012 are null and void.
Another very troublesome change are its freedom of speech limitations, which would apply anytime the government deemed that the expression violated the "dignity of the Hungarian Nation."
Another amendment blocks students who have graduated from emigrating right after graduation. Homeless people will be essentially banned from the streets from now on, and a ban on electoral campaign advertising in the private media was passed too. Family definition henceforth will exclude anyone who is unmarried, childless or any homosexual union.
Most of these sweeping reforms that recently were passed has left most other European countries speechless.
Budapest however, remains serene, and indifferent to the apparent indignation of its neighbors. The new amendments all but shift absolute power onto the hand of newly elected Prime Minister Orban.
The reforms have all but shackled the constitutional court, and cuffed the judiciary branch.
But the so called 'reformers', those in Parliament who stood behind the reform and allowed its passage, defend the move as a return to Hungary's tradition and a reinforcement of its prior identity. They are in essence placing themselves against the left leaning tendencies of a more democratic Europe. They have also, in their own words, shunned liberalism. Unfortunately, the same lingo and ideas expounded by the right leaning wing of the parliament are uttered and favored by right wing groups.
In most of the old Russian satellite countries, there has been a knee jerk reaction to the increasingly left leaning ideology of their western neighbors.
Civil rights group and citizens have mounted massive protests ahead of the vote wihout much result. European Commission president, Jose M. Barroso, pleaded with Orban to delay the vote to no avail.
Guido Westerwelle, the German Foreign Minister has reiterated the need to correct Hungary's direction, with all means possible, obviously a not so veiled threat of exclusion from the EU, if the Hungarian Prime Minister does not revert some of the changes he has made.
But if that is exactly what Hungary wants? Is this an attempt at exiting the Euro zone? What it has done so far, is a complete rejection's of the EU's democratic stance and any values that it deems different from the ones adopted so far.
When asked whether a compromise would be possible with opposition representatives, in light of the protest both at home and abroad, the parliamentary representatives who have voted in the majority for the changes, excluded it outright.
Source: spiegelonline 3.12.13
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