The European Commission is being called upon to examine potential Russian interference in Hungary’s upcoming elections, which may be threatened by intimidation of journalists and coercion of voters by the ruling party.<\/p>\n
As Hungary approaches critical parliamentary elections that could challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n’s 16-year tenure, a coalition of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) has reached out to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Rule of Law Commissioner Michael McGrath, urging immediate action.<\/p>\n
This bipartisan group is seeking a prompt evaluation both prior to and immediately following the election day to determine if the integrity of the electoral process is compromised by disinformation, foreign influence, misuse of state resources, harassment of journalists, and illegal obstruction of opposition candidates.<\/p>\n
The request coincides with the European Commission’s demand for an explanation from the Hungarian government regarding a leaked audio recording that allegedly reveals the Hungarian foreign minister covertly assisting his Russian counterpart.<\/p>\n
In their correspondence, the MEPs referenced a report from the independent media organization VSquare, which claimed that the Kremlin has deployed a team to manipulate the elections in Hungary. This operation is reportedly managed by Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy chief of staff to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kiriyenko is also believed to have orchestrated a similar initiative in Moldova, which involved extensive vote-buying and the use of troll farms against pro-European Union President Maia Sandu.<\/p>\n
The journalist behind the report, Szabolcs Panyi, has faced accusations from Hungarian authorities of espionage for Ukraine, and he has been subjected to unprecedented state-led intimidation, as highlighted by the MEPs.<\/p>\n
The group also expressed their concerns regarding credible reports of unauthorized attempts to breach the IT systems of opposition parties, allegedly involving state security forces. They pointed to well-documented instances of vote-buying and intimidation attributed to the ruling Fidesz party, warning of significant risks of voter coercion. “The European Union cannot effectively promote democracy abroad if it neglects to act when the integrity of elections within its own borders is under such threat,” they stated.<\/p>\n
This letter was sent as the Commission sought urgent clarification from Hungary following another leaked conversation between Foreign Minister P\u00e9ter Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, which has reignited worries about Hungary’s ties with Russia.<\/p>\n
In the leaked audio, Szijj\u00e1rt\u00f3 seemed to offer to provide Lavrov with a document regarding Ukraine’s EU accession process. “I will send it to you. It\u2019s not a problem,” he reportedly said, in response to Lavrov’s request for information about minority language roles in the accession discussions.<\/p>\n
French Foreign Minister Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot described this development as “a betrayal of the solidarity” required among EU member states, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk labeled the recording as “truly shocking.”<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Paula Pinho, the chief spokesperson for the Commission, indicated that the recording raises “the disturbing possibility of a member state collaborating with Russia, thereby acting against the security and interests of the EU.” She emphasized that it is essential for the Hungarian government to provide an urgent explanation, and confirmed that this issue would be addressed at the leadership level.<\/p>\n
Before this statement, Tineke Strik, a Dutch Green MEP and leader of the European Parliament’s efforts regarding democratic standards in Hungary, criticized the Commission for being “too hesitant” in its dealings with Budapest. She suggested that the Commission is overly cautious about being perceived as interfering in Hungary’s elections.<\/p>\n
Strik noted that Orb\u00e1n is “utilizing the EU in his campaigns,” referencing the government\u2019s billboard initiatives targeting European leaders, including von der Leyen, along with the ongoing anti-EU rhetoric from Orb\u00e1n and his administration.<\/p>\n
She urged the Commission to be more forthright in defending the rights of Hungarian citizens, stating, “So far, they have not done so. While I understand their reasons, they are basing their approach too much on the premise of a typical democratic process. The reality is that we are not in a normal situation.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The European Commission is being called upon to examine potential Russian interference in Hungary’s upcoming elections, which may be threatened by intimidation of journalists and coercion of voters by the ruling party. As Hungary approaches critical parliamentary elections that could challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orb\u00e1n’s 16-year tenure, a coalition of Members of the European Parliament […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[117,1473,114,302,141,88,304,571],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-europe","category-uk-european-commission","category-uk-european-union","category-uk-hungary","category-uk-russia","category-uk","category-uk-viktor-orb-n","category-uk-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n