Bill submitted
Orban wants to further restrict opposition
November 22, 2023, 2:24 a.m
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Before the EU elections next year, the Orban government is planning a legislative proposal that could make the work of the opposition in Hungary even more difficult. The proposed draft would entail changes to the constitution and criminal law.
With a bill that has now been presented, Hungary’s government wants to criminalize foreign financing of election campaigns and set up a new authority to control non-governmental organizations. The country’s so-called “law to protect sovereignty” “puts a stop to all electoral fraud and imposes penalties of up to three years in prison for anyone who uses foreign funds in the election campaign,” said Mate Kocsis, leader of the ruling Fidesz parliamentary group. Party, on Facebook.
Critics see the law as the latest move by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing populist government to weaken political rivals ahead of next year’s European Parliament and local elections. After the 2022 parliamentary election, the Hungarian government published several intelligence reports that the opposition alliance is said to have accepted more than three billion forints (around eight million euros) from a US-based non-governmental organization for its election campaign.
In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in August, Orban claimed that US taxpayer money was used to finance a campaign against him. The opposition denied all allegations and said the funds came from Hungarian citizens living abroad. The proposed legislative package would require a constitutional amendment and a change to the criminal law. The 22-page text is available on the Hungarian Parliament website.