Hungarian parliament passes law against "foreign influence"
Among other things, the law provides for prison sentences and the establishment of a supervisory authority to prevent "foreign influence" in the electoral process, for example. The authority is to "identify and investigate organizations that receive money from abroad (...) in order to influence the will of the voters".
The head of the new supervisory authority is to be appointed by the Prime Minister. The body is to be given far-reaching investigative powers. Although it would not be able to impose sanctions against non-governmental organizations itself, it would be able to pass on information to the authorities.
According to the law, any candidate who stands for election and at the same time accepts foreign funds could face up to three years in prison. The Fidesz party declared that the law would "close the door to any kind of electoral fraud".
The Orban government's plans have attracted a great deal of criticism both at home and abroad in recent weeks. Critics fear that it could be used to crack down on dissenters and groups that reject the policies of Orban's government.
Hungary is a member of the European Union. However, Orban, who has been in power since 2010, has been at loggerheads with the EU Commission for years on numerous issues, such as migration, the rule of law and LGBTQ rights.
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Source: www.stern.de
