PM Orbán on Christian Democracy

As PM Orbán praises the ideals of Christian Democracy, the leading left-wing daily accuses him of betraying its core principles. A pro-government columnist, on the other hand, believes that the Fidesz-KDNP coalition has a coherent ideological vision.

In a speech commemorating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Christian Democratic Party (KDNP) on Saturday, PM Orbán reiterated his view that democracies do not necessarily have to be liberal. He mentioned that liberal democrats ‘failed to help’ Hungarian families: they did not increase revenues through increasing the tax burden of banks and energy suppliers, and they did nothing to eliminate FX loans either. He praised the founding fathers of modern Christian democratic ideals including Konrad Adenauer and Robert Schuman. He accused liberals of trying to discredit their opponents by labelling them the outright enemies of democracy. The Prime Minister called for what he called the dogmas of political correctness to be abandoned in order to make Hungary a successful state.

Népszabadság in a front page editorial contends that the Orbán government is a far cry from authentic Christian Democratic ideals. Real Christian Democracy is an egalitarian social justice ideal which opposes centralization, the leading left-wing daily maintains. What PM Orbán called ‘political correctness’ is actually a priority for genuine Christian Democratic parties – they are uncompromising defenders of human rights and do not cooperate with autocratic regimes even if this would involve economic benefits, while the Orbán government has no qualms whatsoever about its trade partnerships with such states, Népszabadság writes. In conclusion, the daily adds that Christian Democrats promoted European integration in order to overcome nationalist ideals, while PM Orbán considers national sovereignty as a core value.

The Fidesz-KDNP coalition’s success is to a large extent due to their ideological vision, Péter Szentmihályi Szabó writes in Magyar Hírlap. While the Left has been hesitating between social democratic and free market liberal ideas, the Right united behind Christian Democratic and national ideology, the pro-government commentator believes. “The Fidesz-KDNP coalition can represent the values of God, nation and family,” Szentmihályi Szabó believes.

Tags: KDNP, liberalism, liberals, Orbán