Another hot summer’s day in Strasbourg
July 7th, 2011The end of Hungary’s EU presidency, PM Viktor Orbán’s presentation of its achievements, and the demand from the European Parliament for Hungary to revise the new constitution provoke mixed reactions in the Hungarian press.
In Népszabadság, commenting on the EP resolution which criticises the new Hungarian Constitution, deputy editor Gábor Horváth contends that Viktor Orbán’s concept of democracy has failed another exam. „The only consolation is that he will not have any more exams (as holder of the rotating presidency) in the near future” – writes Népszabadság.
A ‘Strong Europe’ was the Hungarian presidency’s motto, Zoltán Simon reminds readers of the left-wing daily Népszava. But “if there is one thing that makes Europe weaker (…) it is disrespect for its institution.” The author mentions the positive opinion of British MEP Nigel Farage, who called the Hungarian PM the „secret weapon” of the Eurosceptic movement.
Heti Világgazdaság (HVG) disputes Mr Orbán’s view that criticism of the Hungarian constitution came only from left wing parties. The liberal weekly points out that the European Parliament is dominated by a right wing majority.
Mandiner, a blog site run by young conservatives, refutes that argument. While the right-wing European People’s Party does have the largest parliamentary group, it has no absolute majority in the EP. “The resolution was tabled by the Socialists, Liberals, Greens and Communists, and their combined votes constituted a majority”. Gellért Rajcsányi, the author of the blog, and a fierce critic of recent government policies, defends the Prime Minister this time:
„If we have to choose between the joint platform of Daniel Cohn-Bendit and the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia or the Hungarian Constitution based on Christian and family values, it will not be too difficult to opt for the second.”
Tags: constitution, EU, Orbán