Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban is a well-established populist and a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it comes to democratically elected leaders. His reputation and recent actions as an authoritarian, anti-immigration candidate, and “Trump-like” leader are also well documented. He uses a wide variety of authoritarian tactics to cement his power and leadership, such as demonizing the media, silencing critics, antagonizing migrants and refugees from abroad, weaponizing public fears (Müller 2017: 8-10) and painting the European Union as public enemy number one. Many of these characteristics are also textbook populist in nature and shared by many populists around the world, such as media censorship by Turkey’s Erdogan, and the dismantling of legislative powers by Boris Johnson of the UK. Orban’s defense for these actions boils down to streamlining democratic standards in Hungary and making his country more accountable to the people. However, they have proven to be just the opposite, and are feeding the flames of Hungary’s democratic backsliding.
Orban’s recent immigration policies, including the construction of border walls and barbed wire fences, are aimed at deterring migrants from entering Hungarian territory. “Transit zones on the Serbian-Hungarian border have been implemented, and since the end of March 2017, anyone applying for asylum in Hungary can only do so from a transit zone and are then detained there for the duration of the asylum procedure” (Gozdziak 2019).
Policies such as these are all designed to homogenize Hungary and “consolidate Orban’s political position and justify his illiberal agenda…in 2017, he fixated on the “Soros Plan,” claiming that billionaire philanthropist George Soros was behind the European migration crisis in an attempt to destabilize Hungary and weaken its Christian culture” (Nietsche 2019).This type of rhetoric, the construction of the wall, and other anti-immigration measures undertaken by the Orban administration serve to fuel xenophobia in Hungary. Orban has also launched a series of public consultations (public ballot questions) which are intended to restrict migrants’ rights and manufacture support for his regime by asking leading, biased questions in order to manipulate citizen responses. One such consultation focuses on “preserving Hungary’s old-school Christian nature,” (Nietsche 2019) and goes hand-in-hand with Orban’s rhetoric of keeping out migrants – mainly from Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa, whom he perceives as threats to Hungary’s culture and Christian roots.
An example of the biased and manipulative nature the consultations hold can be found in the Christian roots consultation, which utilized methods of collecting data that prevented respondents from accurately voicing their opinions. Questions contained in the consultation were incredibly biased, and asked questions such as, “Terrorist attacks have followed one after another in Europe over the recent period. In spite of this, Brussels wants to force Hungary to receive illegal immigrants. What do you think Hungary should do?” These types of questions are phrased in a way that make it sound like terrorist attacks are a grave threat to Hungary. Additionally, in a family law consultation, respondents were given a simple “yes” or “no” choice to answer a series of questions addressing how Hungary should address population and demographic decline, without an opportunity to elaborate on their position. Furthermore, Orban’s Fidesz party “now holds 133 of 199 seats in the new parliament, which will enable him to pass any law he wants, even those that require the support of two-thirds of the votes” (Than 2018).
Orban’s government wrote a fear-mongering letter designed to demonize the European Union and paint them as the enemy of the Hungarian people. Hungary’s government website cites the reasons as to why Hungary needs consultations in the first place, stating “In Brussels, plans are being made on our future which involve major threats.” If there is a surefire way to turn a country’s people against a larger government, this rhetoric is the way to do it, and like any good populist, Orban paints his way as the only way, as the true voice of the people.
Like other countries in the EU which criticize the union such as Poland, Hungary’s defense for this standpoint comes as “protecting” itself from Brussels’s perceived abuse of power. However, the recent policies imposed by Orban on his country are anything but protective but are instead overtly populist and anti-democratic. Free speech, individual rights, and media protections are backsliding under his populist agenda, causing the EU to consider imposing economic sanctions on the country. As long as Orban is in power, democratic norms are at risk, and political and individual rights remain in jeopardy.
Works Cited
Nietsche, Carisa. “How Hungary’s Orban Puts Democratic Tools to Authoritarian Use.” World Politics Review, 10 June 2019, https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/27928/how-hungary-s-orban-puts-democratic-tools-to-authoritarian-use.
“The ‘Let’s Stop Brussels!” National Consultation.” The Orange Files, WordPress.com, 27 June 2018, https://theorangefiles.hu/the-lets-stop-brussels-national-consultation/.
Than, Krisztina. “PM Orban Vows to Preserve Hungary’s Christian Culture.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 7 May 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-orban/pm-orban-vows-to-preserve-hungarys-christian-culture-idUSKBN1I80NC.
“Summary of the Questions Relating to the National Consultation.” Government of Hungary, https://www.kormany.hu/download/5/be/01000/NK_2017_A4_v05_engl.pdf.
Müller, Jan-Werner. What Is Populism? Penguin Books Ltd, 2017.
Goździak, Elżbieta M. “Using Fear of the ‘Other,” Orbán Reshapes Migration Policy in a Hungary Built on Cultural Diversity.” Migrationpolicy.org, Migration Policy Institute, 5 Nov. 2019, https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/orban-reshapes-migration-policy-hungary.
I completely agree with your argument and statements. These immigration policies are put into place as if they are trying to help the people and country out when in actuality all they are looking for the is ability to stop them from getting the better life that they are hoping for. Immigrants should be able to have the same rights that citizens have to an extent. They shouldn’t be treated lower than others just because they come from a different part of the world. If we claim to be such a “free” country, then shouldn’t we be able to allow and welcome everyone from any part of the world and give them the benefits that they are looking for in order to make a living. With the way he is running under his populist agenda, more people should come forward and address the situation and then take appropriate actions in order to make sure that immigrants are treated fairly and have the same rights that citizens have. They least that they can do is to treat them as normal human beings instead of always claiming that they are trying to steal from the people of the country. I really enjoyed what you were trying to state and open up to the eyes of others.
Hey Ian,
This was a very great read overall, and I agree with a lot of your points here. I do believe that these immigration policies, are put into place for all the wrong reasons. I feel like most of these polices, have a sense of pride to them. What I mean by that, is that I feel as though they are saying, that people that are not from their country, don’t deserve to have the same rights, as the citizens. I kinda get the feeling, that they don’t want people that aren’t born in their country, to be successful. I feel like everyone, no matter where they are from, deserve to be treated equally like everyone else.
This is a very informative post and it has helped me in my studies. It does not make sense why these policies were put into action. The wolf in sheep’s clothing analogy is very accurate when discussing his policies on immigration. These policies are not being executed for the greater good of the country, Orban is simply carrying out his own agenda that only benefits him and his supporters. To his supporters, Orban is protecting the country. The example you used with the biased questionnaire proves why he was elected. People will see this horribly and wrongfully worded question and assume that the ones that are supposedly doing the crime are the ones at fault. The similarities in Donald Trump and Viktor Orban are also very disconcerting to analyze. Orban was democratically elected, did these horrible acts and is still in power. Will the same happen to the United States? This was a very insightful and informative post.