Hungary ~ The Reign of Viktor Orban

     Imagine yourself on an old cobblestone street, with the sun shining down brightly and reflecting off the hard cold stones. You’re in Budapest Hungary with a slight January chill hanging in the air. You’re standing outside an Opera house listening to the music resonating from within. Men and women are entering and exiting in grand attire. As you look back towards the street, you witness a nice beautiful angry mob form. They become violent and begin chanting, “Orban be gone!” and, “Orban the Viktator!”

     This was the scene only this last January second outside an opera house in Budapest where Viktor Orban, Prime Minister of Hungary, was hosting a party. What is happening in Hungary that has finally become worthy of outside attention? The answer is that they are slowly slipping into a European dictatorship. Viktor Orban has been Prime Minister of Hungary since 2010 and has been making many changes in the time he has been in power. On December 30^th, he passed a central bank law in defiance of EU and IMF warnings that it would infringe on the bank's independence. This action caused a funding deal that was being pushed through at the time involving the central bank to now be greatly threatened. This deal is needed to shore up the country's financial markets. "These new bills create the possibility for influence over central bank decision-making based on government and party interests, which... goes against... the basic treaty of the European Union," the Hungarian central bank said in a statement. In response to outrage from the central bank, Orban claims he is finishing up unfinished business he helped start in 1989.

     

     Orban’s “clean up” of Hungary is not only focused on the central bank, but has branched out to other sectors of the society. Having already passed regulations on the media to secure continued support, he is using his two-thirds majority parliament to continue his uninhibited steamroller of change. One of the most controversial changes he has made was to the constitution itself. He has passed what is called “a streamline judiciary system.” It is an attempt to make the judicial process go faster; however, in doing so, gives more control to the government. Instead of justices retiring with age or will, the government now chooses when to fire and hire on impulse. This power is not invested in Viktor Orban though, he decided to give the control of hundreds of Hungarian judges’ job fates to the wife of a close friend and member of his political party. This caused the uproar that was seen January second outside the opera house. The next target he has set his sights on is religion. Orban calls himself a Christian and has taken away tax exemption for all religious establishments other than Christian churches. This is another move causing outrage against him and the Christian community in Hungary. An example of this can be seen at a homeless shelter in Budapest’s 8^th district called the Evangelical Brotherhood. They recently lost this “church” status and with that has gone a predicted half of their future income.

     Viktor Orban is most definitely changing the situation in Hungary; this can be seen in his approval ratings. In 2010 he was elected in a landslide, but now his approval rating has dropped below 20%. Hungary is changing and now the U.S. is speaking out against their turn. Hillary Clinton recently sent a letter to the Prime Minister telling his that his recent changes are most disturbing the United States and democracy in Europe. Hungary’s next election will most likely see Viktor Orban replaced, but the changes he made will be hard to reverse and will last for a long time.