Election 2018 – Hungarian FM: ‘Soros empire’ upping pressure on Hungary

The Hungarian government will resist an expectedly growing international pressure in the wake of Hungary’s recent election, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said on Thursday.

Ruling Fidesz’s election victory, one of “three landslide wins in eight years”, reflects “the strongest and clearest political will in Europe” expressed by Hungary’s voters, Szijjártó told reporters. The election made it clear “what future the government’s supporters voted for and what kind of future opponents wish to see”, he added.

“Brussels, however, continues to disregard the Hungarian people and their will,” Szijjártó insisted.

The European Parliament’s civil rights committee (LIBE) is scheduled to present “the Soros Report” on Hungary on Thursday, Szijjártó said. “It has taken Brussels just four days from the election to launch another attack on Hungary,” he added.

LIBE has been asked to prepare a report on the state of the rule of law in Hungary with a view to holding an EP vote on launching the first steps of Article 7, which suspends voting rights.

Szijjártó said that the Hungarian government had approached LIBE on Wednesday to present their position, but leaders of the committee refused to provide an opportunity, through which they had “unmasked themselves”, revealing a “seriously anti-democratic” procedure against Hungary.

The minister said that Hungary’s election campaign had seen “a number of open attempts to influence domestic affairs” but despite those efforts by the “Soros empire”, Hungary’s voters had “made a clear decision … and said no to a pro-immigration policy”.

An anti-immigration policy and protection of Hungary’s sovereignty will continue to be in the focus of the government’s policies “no matter what pressure is exerted or what attacks they may launch against us”, Szijjártó said.

Szijjártó was asked about the opposition’s suspicions of fraud at the recent election and he said that the “facts and figures are meaningful”: the ruling parties received 2.6 million votes while the runner-up one million. He suggested that the number of contested votes in “three-four-five” constituencies was negligible compared to the difference of 1.6 million votes. He insisted that those questioning the legitimacy of the election “disdain the Hungarian people’s democratically expressed will”.

featured image: MTI