Although the EU cuts him billions in aid, Prime Minister Orban is pushing ahead with the conversion of Hungary into a mafia state. Anyone who opposes him must arm himself. Opposition politician Dobrev tells how she is defamed as a warmonger and plagued with court cases.
Klára Dobrev won a trial in Budapest two weeks ago. She had been accused of a variety of illegal financial manipulations. It was not the first court hearing this year for Dobrev, who sits in the European Parliament as a member of the Hungarian opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) party. Anyone who opposes the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban must expect to be prosecuted by the public prosecutor’s office – also for alleged crimes for which there is no evidence. Procedures are now part of everyday life for Dobrev. “I and other members of the opposition have to go to court almost every other week,” she says in an interview with ntv.de. She laughs bitterly.
As a leading opposition politician, Dobrev is a popular target for these pinpricks that Orban gives his opponents after destroying the rule of law in Hungary. She is married to Orban’s predecessor, Ferenc Gyurcsány, who founded the social-liberal, pro-European DK in 2011. Ahead of last year’s general election, Dobrev stood as a candidate for prime minister for a coalition of six opposition parties. In the association’s runoff, however, she was defeated by the independent candidate Péter Márki-Zay, whom Orban defeated in April 2022 with an overwhelming result for his right-wing nationalist Fidesz party. After the DK won 16 percent in the last European elections, Dobrev became a member of the European Parliament, where she joined the group of the Progressive Alliance of Social Democrats (S&D).
The Hungarian opposition is not only coming under pressure because of accusations against individual politicians. Now Orban is also targeting the financing of the parties. “Only a few days ago, all opposition parties received a letter from the Hungarian government telling us to provide information about our funding. We are accused of receiving illegal donations from abroad,” says Dobrev. She denies the allegation that a civilian organization supported Márki-Zay’s election campaign at the time. “If fines are imposed, we have no way of taking action in court,” says Dobrev.
“Ukraine War Helped Orban Win Election”
Orban has brought the Hungarian judiciary under his control through several legislative changes. Many prosecutors and judges have bowed to him, so that without exception proceedings are initiated against members of the opposition or enemies of Fidesz. Because of Orban’s campaign against the rule of law, the EU froze several funds. It contains Hungary’s corona aid of 5.8 billion euros and 6.3 billion in structural aid. Money from the EU budget was also cut last December, another 6.3 billion.
The European Union started too late to withdraw funds from Orban’s government, complained Katharina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament and former German Minister of Justice, in an interview with ntv.de. The Commission has “watched, just like the Council, as Orban dismantles democracy bit by bit – for over ten years,” says Barley. The autocrat used the EU funds to consolidate his power. Reports indicate that these funds often disappeared into corrupt channels. Orban is currently busy pushing ahead with nationalizations in the construction and food industries, before dividing companies up among his followers. Many foreign companies, including German ones, are bullied out of the country using mafia-like methods. “Orban now has all structures in his hands without exception, there is no longer any democratic control,” said Barley.
The vast majority of the Hungarian media landscape also consists of companies that are friendly to Orban. Orban is exploiting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to create anti-opposition sentiment in the media. He likes to portray himself as a confidant of President Vladimir Putin, stressing that Hungary should stay out of the war. While he presents himself as a pacifist father of the country, Dobrev is defamed in propaganda as a warmonger. “The Ukraine war helped Orban win the last election,” she says. In recent months, posters have been appearing all over Hungary – first in Budapest, then in rural areas – calling Dobrev, her husband Gyurcsány and other members of the opposition as “pro-war” people who must be stopped.
“Orban is a kleptocrat currying favor with Putin”
Dobrev speaks of “character killing campaigns” that are also broadcast on state television. Especially in rural areas, the population does not receive any independent information about parties other than Fidesz. The government is also buying advertising space on social media to spread fake news. Orban also uses unusual methods to reach older people. During last year’s election campaign, Fidesz gave seniors fitness bracelets, which Dobrev said were funded by the EU. “A week before the election, Orban’s voice suddenly came out of the armband. He was telling people that if you want to prevent their children from going to war, they have to vote for Fidesz and not the opposition,” she says.
Orban’s narrative also includes demonizing the European Union’s sanctions against Russia. Other posters his party put up in Budapest read “The Brussels sanctions are ruining us.” Inflation in Hungary is currently 25 percent, and food prices have risen by as much as 55 percent. Orban never misses an opportunity to blame the EU for the catastrophic economic situation in the country, which is actually a victim of its nepotism.
In the Council of European heads of state and government, he repeatedly delayed decisions on sanctions. He flatly rejects arms deliveries to Ukraine and only provides humanitarian aid for Kiev. Meanwhile, he negotiated an exception to the oil embargo for Hungary. He also signed a contract with the Russian state-owned company Gazprom to further increase gas supplies since the fall.
“Orban is an autocrat and kleptocrat who curry favor with Putin and ruin his own country in the process,” says Barley. In Germany, it is often underestimated how bad the situation is. “The Hungarian people deserve better,” Barley said.