#HUNGARY: Parliament Passes Judicial Reforms Demanded By EU

[world politics news]

The Hungarian Parliament voted to approve the judicial reform package needed to unlock €13.2 billion from the frozen EU cohesion funds on Wednesday, May 3rd, a day after the Hungarian prime minister met with Johannes Hahn, the EU’s budget commissioner in Budapest.

Even if the reforms were technically approved by the EU, it could still take months until the European Commission gives the final green light for releasing the funds, while the rest of the €27.8 billion of EU funds it decided to withhold from the country last year will remain tied to further legislative steps.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: Hungary Is "Not A Democracy" Says Euro Parliament

[world politics news]

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.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Constitution Amended To Allow States Of Emergency

[world politics news]

 

The government has been given the power to declare a state of emergency in the case of an armed conflict, war, or humanitarian disaster in a neighbouring country, as parliament adopted the tenth amendment to the constitution on Tuesday. The legislation was passed with 136 votes for and 36 against. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Landslide Victory For PM Orbán's Party

[world politics news]

 

The final results of Hungary's parliamentary elections have been published, confirming a landslide victory of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition.

The Fidesz-KDNP coalition will take 135 of the 199 seats in Hungary's parliament, NVI informed on Saturday, after counting the last votes cast in the Parliamentary elections held on April 3.

The opposition alliance, consisting of the Democratic Coalition, Jobbik, LMP, Momentum Movement, Hungarian Socialist Party and Dialogue for Hungary, received 57 seats.

While some have said that Orbán's victory is a victory for Russia's Putin, due to Orbán's refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and his long-standing support for Putin, others have attributed the victory to purely national and local issues.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: PM Orban Defies EU Over Blocking Funds

[world politics news]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused the European Commission of blocking funds over the country's LGBT policies.

Orban has claimed that the EU had failed to approve Hungary's coronavirus recovery plan because of their disagreements over gay rights.

"The funds are loans that Brussels does not want to give us because of the debate on our LGBT policy," he said in an interview with state media.

In June, the Hungarian parliament banned the "promotion and portrayal of homosexuality" to citizens under the age of 18. 

Orban presented the legal amendment as a child protection tool.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: Hungary Will Veto New Climate Plan

[world politics news]

The European Union has ambitious plans to cut pollution by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030. To achieve that, the bloc will seek to bring new industries such as shipping into what’s already the world’s largest carbon market ban new combustion-engine cars by 2035; impose new costs on dirty home heating; and force the aviation industry to emit less and pay more.

But Hungary is signaling that it will veto the latest agreement, a victim of the nation's ongoing feud with the supranational organization.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: New Law Prevents "Promotion Of Homosexuality" To Children

[world politics news]

Hungary’s parliament passed legislation on Tuesday that bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change, amid strong criticism from human rights groups and opposition parties.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces an election next year, has grown increasingly vocal on social policy, railing against LGBT people and immigrants in his self-styled illiberal regime.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: Hungary's PM Orban Pulls Party From Conservative Bloc In EU Parliament

[world politics news]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pulled his Fidesz Party from the European People's Party (EPP) in the European Parliament after the conservative bloc approveed new internal rules this week.

Orban issued the ultimatum that he'd act on February 28 in a letter to Manfred Weber, the German politician who heads the conservative EPP bloc, the largest faction in the European Parliament, representing the center-right parties in Europe.

The EPP parliamentary group, which includes German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, has been squabbling with Fidesz for years.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Anti-Gay Euro Parliament Politician Resigns After Attending "All-Male" Sex Party

[world politics news] 

Hungarian European Parliament member  József Szájer, 59, representing the ruling conservative Fidesz Party, unexpectedly resigned November 29, citing personal reasons.

"Those who are on the battlefield must be in a state of combat readiness," Szájer wrote in his resignation letter.

A Dutch-language newspaper based in Antwerp wrote that two days prior to his resignation, on Friday, November 27, Brussels police had raided an illegal party with over 20 attendees, in violation of current coronavirus restrictions, which include a curfew between 10 pm and 6 am. Several Hungarian and Belgian outlets rapidly picked up the story. Szájer was identified as being at the party and later admitted it. 

News reports say the outspoken anti-gay politician, who crafted the nation's anti-same-sex marriage law, had attended what they revealed was a "gay orgy" of at least "25 men." 

András Pulai, CEO of a Hungarian liberal think-tank, wondered why only Szájer's name was released. His Fidesz Party is staunchly anti-EU. Pulai sees a political motive for selectively releasing Szájer's involvement.

"If there were many important people there, why has only Fidesz's most important EU politician been named (so far)?" 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Parliament Rejects EU Declaration On Gender

[world politics news]

Hungary’s parliament adopted a political resolution, sponsored by government coalition partner party, the Christian Democrats, rejecting the Istanbul Convention. The declaration said the Council of Europe document takes, an "unacceptable approach" to defining gender, and said parliament should not incorporate this approach into national law.

The declaration was adopted with 115 votes in favor, 35 against and three abstentions. It calls on the government not to go any further in acceding to the convention and to lobby the European Union to do the same.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Prime Minister Orban Introduces Economic Program To Combat Effects Of Coronavirus

[world politics news]

The government of  Prime Minister Viktor Orban has introduced an economic program that aims to create as many jobs as the number of jobs destroyed by novel coronavirus. Orban told public news channel M1 that no Hungarian would be left alone.

He presented new economic protection measures, including a wage support scheme, reintroducing 13th month pensions, restoring highlighted sectors of the national economy and granting over 2,000 billion forints in loans with interest subsidies or state guarantees to companies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: European Court Rules Three Countries Broke EU Law By Refusing Migrants

[world politics news]

The European Court of Justice  has ruled that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic breached their obligations under EU law by refusing to take in refugees.

The court says in its ruling that these countries had failed to accept their share of 120,000 asylum seekers who had arrived in Italy and Greece, under a relocation programme agreed by the European Council in 2015.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Opposition Parties Delay PM Orban's State Of Emergency Declaration

[world politics news]

Opposition parties voted against "fast-tracking a bill in parliament to allow Prime Minister Viktor Orban to declare a state of emergency.

The opposition voted against deviating from house rules, so the earliest the bill can be approved in a fast-tracked procedure will be in six days’ time.

The proposal to deviate from house rules – which would have needed four-fifth majority to pass – was supported by 137 lawmakers from the ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat parties, national minority representatives and four MPs of the Mi Hazank party. Fully 52 lawmakers voted against, namely opposition Jobbik, Socialist, Democratic Coalition, LMP and Parbeszed lawmakers and four independents.

The opposition said they voted against the bill because it does not contain a time limit for maintaining the state of emergency.

The proposal to fast-track the bill, which needed two-thirds majority support to pass, was supported with 152 votes for and 31 against.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: PM Orban Will "Use Force" To Protect Borders If Turkey Unleashes New Wave Of Migrants On Europe

[world politics news]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has warned he will 'use force' to fend off migrants if Turkey delivered on its threat to "open the gates" and allow 3.6 million refugees to flood into Europe if EU leaders continue to oppose Turkey's military action in northern Syria.

Orban built a steel fence on Hungary's border with Serbia to seal off the Balkans route of migration, where hundreds of thousands of people marched through from the Middle East to Western Europe at the peak of the migrant crisis in 2015.

'If Turkey sets off further hundreds of thousands (on top of those it has already), then we will need to use force to protect the Hungarian border and the Serbian-Hungarian frontier and I do not wish for anyone that we should need to resort to that,' Orban said Wednesday night. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EU: Euro Parliament Rejects Commission Candidates From Romania, Hungary

[world politics news]

The European parliament has rejected EU commissioner candidates from Hungary and Romania over alleged conflicts of interest, in a blow to the incoming president, Ursula von der Leyen.

The unprecedented move by MEPs ratchets up pressure on Von der Leyen, who must get her team of 26 EU commissioners approved next month if her new commission is to be ready for its launch day on November 1st.

The rejections will be seen by many in Hungary and Romania as politically motivated. Hungary in particular has been highly critical of the EU, which has voted in the past to restrict the country's voting rights over its legal reforms.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Swedish Cabinet Minister Suggests Hungarian Family Policies Resembles Nazis', Sparking Diplomatic Incident

[world politics news]

Hungary’s foreign ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador for consultations after a Swedish cabinet member compared the Hungarian government’s recent family assistance measures with those of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

In a tweet, Annika Strandhall, the Swedish minister for social affairs, said that Hungary’s “alarming” policies were “reeking of the 1930's." She suggested Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who she said seeks to promote the birth of "more true Hungarian" babies, was a "right-wing populist trying to obscure the consequences of those policies to the independence women have fought for."

At a press conference, Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó said the Swedish ambassador had been told at the ministry that Strandhall’s comments were unacceptable and had used an "unacceptable tone."

In 2016, Strandhall also got into trouble after proclaiming on social media that all men should have their right to vote withdrawn following the election of Donald Trump.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: Orban Gov't Forces Out George Soros-Backed University; Moving To Vienna

[world politics news]

The George Soros-backed Central European University will close its doors in Budapest, after Hungary's government passed a law preventing it from accepting students in 2019. The university has plans to move its campus to Vienna, Austria, reports The Washington Post. The decision concludes a long battle between CEU and Hungary's government, which has criticized the Hungarian-born Soros' influence in the country. The school obtained accreditation from a New York-based university in an attempt to remain.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#POLAND: "Visegrad" Nations And Croatia Seek To Form Central European Army In 2019

[world politics news]

The Visegrad Four countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) will form a joint European army group that will become operational in the second half of 2019, Hungarian Defense Minister Tibor Benko told Hungarian media after a meeting with his V4 counterparts. Benko said the Hungarian government considers paramount the safety of Europe, a position shared by all the members of the Visegrád Group.

Benko also said Croatia - not a member of the group - has offered to join the initiative and the offer was accepted by the V4. Croatia will participate in this group with a dozen staff officers. The new military force comes at a time when Germany and France are speaking more strongly about creating an "EU army," something the more Euro-Skeptical and independence-minded Central European nations reject.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CZECHIA: Parliament Passes Resolution Supporting Hungary's Defiance Of EU Parliament

[world politics news]

The Czech Chamber of Deputies have passed a resolution that criticized the European Parliament's vote last month which could lead to Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, which could strip it of its voting rights within the European Union, which criticizes Hungary for alleged undemocratic practices.

Hungary asserts that the EU is interfering in its internal affairs and is forcing it to take immigrants against its will. The resolution, which received support from several political parties, criticized the EU body's vote for interfering with Hungary's sovereignty. The vote was prompted, in part, after several Czech Members of the European Parliament supported the EP resolution against Hungary last month.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#HUNGARY: PM Orban Considers Legal Action After EU Imposes Sanctions Over "Undemocratic" Practices

[world politics news]

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his government is considering launching a legal challenge against the European Union, after the EU's legislative body imposed sanctions against it, citing "undemocratic" practices by Orban's government. In turn, Orban claims the vote - in which a two-thirds majority of MEPs voted to start so-called Article 7 disciplinary proceedings against Hungary - is “invalid” because it did not take into account abstentions. Hungary has clashed with the EU repeatedly, because it has resisted many attempts by the EU to take in its share of migrants being allowed into Europe. Orban said the European Parliament has a "clear pro-migration majority."


[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.