Fidesz claims European democracy is backsliding, citing France and Poland
The head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee said in Strasbourg on Monday that the political use of criminal law is the greatest danger to European democracies and the rule of law, as the cases of Poland and France have shown.
Zsolt Németh (Fidesz) said in a statement on the first day of the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that democracy was backsliding in Europe, but not “in Budapest or Belgrade but in France and Poland”.
Németh, who also heads the European Conservatives, Patriots and Affiliates (ECPA) in PACE, said that the legal basis of the sentence handed down to Marine Le Pen was “difficult to interpret”. “The most stunning thing is … that [she] doesn’t even have the right to appeal,” he added.
Similar court decisions were handed down in Poland, too, Németh said, “where justice is used as a political weapon against the former prime minister and his deputy.”
“I think democracy means that we are supposed to win at the ballot box rather than annihilate our rivals [using invalid] court decisions. It is time to tackle the real challenges before European democracies rather than quietly assisting certain countries in eliminating the rule of law,” he said.
Noting that CoE Secretary General Alain Berset has initiated the drafting of a New Pact for Democracy, Németh said “there is a bigger need than ever to stand up for democracy.”
“I trust that the Secretary General’s initiative will take the challenges posed by the backsliding of democracy seriously and desist from the following the regrettable trend we see everywhere in Europe of talking about anything but the crux of the matter,” Németh said.
It is interesting that Orbán’s party has never called the leaders of partner organisations guilty, no matter what the charges. Allies are always innocent, and more than once they engage in political conflict to save the allied politician. This is what we wrote today:
Trump administration strongly opposed, yet PM Orbán risked escalation in Balkans because of Dodik?
Zsolt Németh’s speech is also interesting because at the moment it is Fidesz and the Hungarian government that are criticised by many for tightening the law on gatherings, which means that Budapest Pride, for example, cannot take place, but the authorities have the right to ban other events as well, with a flexible child protection rule. However, this attitude is a very bad omen for Hungarian public life, because if another government comes to power, then values that are important to Fidesz can be banned. Demonstrations are held every week in Budapest to protest against the curtailment of the right of assembly:
Another right of assembly protest in Hungary, shouting “Fascist Orbán, get out!” – details and VIDEO